SEGAMBUT, June 30 — Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh said the Persons with Disabilities (OKU) community can look forward to better facilities and services in the future.

The Segambut MP said what the OKU community really wants is to integrate themselves into society and live their lives like everyone else.

She said those who really want to help the OKU community must put aside their egos and find creative solutions when money is scarce.

“Not everything needs money, sometimes it’s simply about collaboration.

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“And when you talk about collaboration, it’s important to let go of your ego. That means don’t say ‘I’m government so I don’t want to work with NGO’s’, while NGO’s go ‘I don’t want to work with so and so.’

“When you look at the economic situation today, we really have to be creative in finding solutions to existing problems,” Yeoh told reporters at the Segambut constituency Zone 1-6 Hari Raya Open House at Plaza Arkadia at Desa Park City today.

She said she had met with Prasarana officials last week and among the things discussed were increasing job opportunities, sorting out work leave and trying to eliminate the problem of citizens parking their cars at OKU spots.

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“Opportunity and accessibility are the two most important things for disabled people.

“We’re hoping to integrate disabled kids from school all the way till they leave school. It can be done if we all combine our resources,” said Hannah.

Last week, Yeoh said the government plans to adopt a 1 per cent OKU employment as part of the Key Performance Indicators for each ministry.

She said the 1 per cent OKU employment policy had been established in the past. However, enforcement has been lax, with ministries not penalised for failing to hit the target.