NST Letter: Aid for the disabled: RM500 allowance closer to the mark

IT is most thoughtful and timely of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen to raise the qualifying ceiling for the disabled in order to obtain their monthly workers' allowance so that they can better cope with the rising cost of living.

However, we in the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive) are disappointed that the monthly allowance of RM300 has not been raised to RM500 for each disabled Malaysian as we had suggested in our meeting with the minister.

The reason for our suggestion is that the disabled face a higher cost of living. They not only have to pay for aids specific to their disabilities -- wheelchairs, crutches, braille material and hearing aids -- but also medication that can run into hundreds of ringgit per month.

The RM300 is at present only for those with jobs. What about those who can't work, such as the paralysed and those who are bedridden?

The government should make it such that people like these are able to automatically qualify for the same amount of financial aid instead of being considered on a case-by-case basis as appears to be the current policy.
Petpositive once again would like to call for the increase of the disability allowance to RM500 a month for every disabled person, regardless of what kind of handicaps they have and whether they are working or not.

Ng: Welfare aid for gays, too - The Star

Thursday July 17, 2008

Ng: Welfare aid for gays, too

KUALA LUMPUR: All Malaysians, including homosexuals, can apply and receive welfare aid if they meet the necessary welfare requirements, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen.

“We do not discriminate based on sexual inclination. As long as you are a Malaysian and are entitled to receive welfare aid, we will give it to you, especially the poor.

“We should not judge them as they too are entitled to get help,” she said yesterday when asked to comment on a Parliament debate over the presence of homosexuals in the Klang Valley.

Dr Ng said her ministry had submitted a research paper to the Cabinet a month ago on problems faced by homosexuals, including no legal entity.

“According to our research, these non-heterosexuals are often shunned by society, ashamed, laughed at and bullied.

“Most of them are not keen to come forward because of the treatment they had received,” she told a press conference yesterday.

On whether the ministry was working on legalising the status of homosexuals, Dr Ng said it was a very complex issue which had to be looked at thoroughly including the religious and cultural aspect.

Earlier, Dr Ng witnessed the presentation of cheques totalling RM15,000 to three welfare homes. The money was collected during a recent month-long programme titled ‘Love and Care’ organised by Central Market Sdn Bhd in conjunction with Mothers Day and Fathers Day.

She said they were reviewing the allowances received by the disabled to sharpen the delivery system and ensure the deserving ones had quick access to them.

On another matter, Dr Ng said the ministry did not approve the idea of outsourcing fund-raising activities for commission and as a profit-sharing business.

She was commenting on a recent statement by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong that “licensed beggars’ were on the prowl, especially at food outlets seeking donations on behalf of welfare homes with the idea of profit-sharing and receiving commission from the money.

Dr Ng said a show-cause letter would be given to such private homes which were also registered and receiving aid from the ministry.

“We are not against fund-raising but do not do it as a 60:40 business. Be transparent with the donors.

“All the money should go straight to the homes minus the administrative fees and not to an outsourcing company,” she added.

Malaysiakini: DISABLED SUPPORT - YEN YEN RIGHT BUT . . .

We refer to issues affecting the disabled reported in the media recently. We are most delighted to learn that Women, Family and Community Development Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen is setting up a special task force to get handicapped Malaysians employed in the private sector.

The minister is spot on in her new mission; especially in ensuring that people with disabilities will also be key players in the special body. All over the world the disability movement is asking for exactly this: that disabled people be included in any matters that involve them. However, it doesn’t only end there.

The minister must be very careful with whom she chooses. The special representatives must come from a wide and varied background in order for her task force to be effective. For example, a person with a spinal injury, for instance, will not be able to fully understand the needs of someone with Parkinson’s disease or some other neurological condition although they may both use wheelchairs for mobility.

The disabled NGOs invited to participate must possess a good track record in fulfilling their objectives and not ‘sleeping ones’ that have hardly made any difference in the lives of their members that they are supposed to serve. And it is vital that their work must involve the disabled poor in rural areas.

One good organisation to work with is the Independent Living and Training Centre in Rawang Selangor. This non-profit society is run by disabled people themselves, headed by a tetraplegic.

The writer is president, Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (PetPositive).

More reports on disabled at Parliament to follow - PET+BLOGSPOT

RECORD 415 - THANK YOU MALAYSIAKINI

: THAT'S THE WHOPPING NUMBER of visits we at PET+BLOGSPOT had yesterday alone for a single day!

And we have no one else other than Malaysiakini to thank for this phenomenon.

The Internet newspaper had listed Our Blog under its "Malaysiakini in blogs" section, opening the gateway for a stream of curious visitors to our cyberspace site.

Most of them visited us for the politics stories we've been featuring since what has become a historic general elections event for human rights campaigners and NGOs.

As a result, 415 people had themselves exposed to the main topics that we cover on Our Blog which is animal-assisted therapy, the disabled and the elderly. [See pie-chart].

One email penned by Malayamuda was quite critical of Prime Minister Datuk Seri AbdullahBadawi's decision to make Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil at yesterday's Cabinet lineup announcement as a special adviser on women and community issues.

What is [the purpose of Dato' Dr] Ng Yen Yen's position then [now that] Shahrizat is special adviser? He asked.

Frankly, I'm rather confused myself.

To be honest, the former Minister for Family and Community Development was not exactly a big hit with the disabled community -- although she was the official who was supposed to look into our concerns.

The good part about Shahrizat is that she never was haughty in front of disabled people.

Rather she was always humble -- and often approachable -- compared to some of her past predecessors who seem to care more for protocol than for the people they are meant to serve.

However, many disabled activists are disappointed with her over a form of disability act bill she helped pass in Parliament recently.

Many say that the bill is really a toothless tiger meant to only look good in paper but totally useless when action needed to be taken to protect the rights of disabled Malaysians.

Shahrizat was Petpositive's first choice as our VVIP for our charity and fund-raising dinner last July. The Minister eventually couldn't make it - leaving MP for Petaling Jaya Selatan [and Deputy Minister for Tourism] Dato' Donald Lim Siang Chai to save the day as our Event Patron.

As it turned out at the last minute, Donald himself could not make it for our dinner. However, he graciously sent Dato' Wong Sai Hou to launch Our Society on his behalf.

As for Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen, our latest Minister for Family, Women and Community Development, I have yet to meet her.

It will certainly be something I will be doing as President of PETPOSITIVE over the next few months.

Together with members of our new opposition government in Selangor.

aNt
PET+BLOGSPOT