KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 — The initiatives announced by the government in the Budget 2023 offer relief to the community of people with disabilities (PwD), says Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi.
She said Budget 2023 is a clear manifestation of the government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, to make inclusion the key principle of Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family), thus giving true recognition to PwD.
“I welcome the announcement of the RM1.2 billion budget that has been prepared specifically for PwD, among other things through assistance for the care of chronic patients, allowance for disabled persons unable to work and allowance for disabled workers (EPOKU) under Budget 2023,” she said in a statement today.
She however appealed to the government to relook the MyStep quota system.
“This is because Budget 2023 did not announce a special MyStep quota for disabled youth as announced in the 2022 Budget. This is important to overcome unemployment in the disabled community.
“I am disappointed because the government did not announce any plan and implementation of the One Per Cent Disabled Persons in the public sector policy and failed to be implemented it even after three decades. I hope the government views this matter seriously,” she said.
She also said she hoped the government would step up its empowerment efforts and focus on the social well-being of the disabled community in Malaysia.
In the meantime, she said the government will also pioneer a PwD-friendly Call Centre by using the video call mode along with the service of a sign language interpreter to relay information.
She said the effort was in line with Malaysia’s commitment to the Bucharest Declaration regarding building a better digital future for all and hope that the government’s determination to promote digital growth will not marginalise the disabled community.
Ras Adiba also expressed her gratitude to the government for not forgetting to empower education for disabled children by providing special incentives with the establishment of 50 new nurseries for the disabled compared to the existing 13 as well as the provision of RM20 million to improve facilities in special needs schools.
“I also want to thank and fully support the government for its willingness to listen to suggestions and the grouses of rare diseases community in Malaysia by allocating RM25 million and efforts to make Kuala Lumpur Hospital and Tunku Azizah Hospital as referral centres for such diseases.
She also called on the public and corporations to continue donating to the trust account for rare diseases established by the government in Budget 2023. — Bernama
