I refer to the statement made by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department T Murugiah which announced a 7% jobs allocation for the disabled in the government sector.

I welcome the announcement which I believe was made for the benefit of the disabled community in this country. Having said that, I am of the view that statement is of no substance at all.

Prior to the announcement, there was a 1% jobs allocation in the government sector and we had been hearing from the Women and Community Development Development ministry that the 1% had been ‘wasted’ because only few disabled individuals seized the opportunity.

The important point that Murugiah and the government need to understand is the reason why the 1% allocation has not been utilised and/or grabbed by the disabled community in this country.

We, at Damai have highlighted these reasons previously and today we would like to reiterate them. Firstly, most of the disabled do not have the minimum qualification required to apply for these government job.

This is primarily due to the fact that most schools in this country are inaccessible to them thus the parents choose not to send their disabled children to school.

Second is the fact that the public transportation system is inaccessible to the disabled and we all have to understand that not all disabled individuals can afford to buy their own special vehicles.

As such, the inaccessible public transportation, in my view, is the major cause why there are only few disabled individuals who successfully managed to seize the opportunity of government jobs.

Third is the infrastructure of the work places themselves. Most of the buildings in this country are not disabled-friendly. There are a few which are ‘designed’ to be disabled-friendly but do not follow the correct specifications or universal standards accordingly.

This makes it impossible for a disabled individual to work in such buildings safely and comfortably.

In accordance with the statement made by the said minister, I once again would like to call upon the relevant authorities to strictly enforce the Building By-Laws which require public buildings to be made accessible to the disabled.

The Transport Ministry should also look into the plea by many organisations and individuals to make our public transportation accessible to everyone.

A holistic approach to this issue is very important in order to ensure that the disabled community utilises the new 7% government jobs allocation.

The writer represents the Damai Disabled Persons Association of Selangor and Wilayah Perseketuan.