A disabled people group today handed a two-page memorandum protesting against the recent telphone rate hikes to members of Parliament.

The memorandum, endorsed by 21 organisations and 28 disabled individuals, lamented that the rate hike has further burdened the disabled community.

We are concerned because the telephone is our main source and mode of communication with the external community, they said in the memorandum which were distributed at the entrance to the Parliament.

The telephone helped us improve our quality of life in various ways, they lamented, adding that rate hike stymies their contribution to society.

Energy, Communications and Multimedia minister Leo Moggie announced last month an increase in local phone rates but a reduction in national and international call charges effective from March 1.

The tariff for local calls — those made within a 25 kilometer radius — were raised to four sen a minute from three sen previously.

Residential phone line rental is now RM22 per month, up by RM2 while business phone rental is RM45, an increase of RM10.

The group said some of its members were forced to discontinue using the phone since 1996 when they could no longer afford the increasing rates.

Extra cost

This has pushed us to the peripheries of mainstream development. We also pay taxes like other citizens of this country. However due to our disability, we should be paying less, they said.

The memorandum was received by National Unity and Community Development Parliament Secretary S Veerasingam on behalf of the government.

PAS president Fadzil Noor, Keadilan president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and several DAP, PAS and Keadilan MPs also met the group members during the submission of the memorandum.

Francis Siva, who spoke for the Independent Living and Training Centre, said that the disabled group members were put at a disadvantage by the new rates as most of them do not make international calls and thus did not benefit from its reductions but would suffer the local tariff hike.

He added that the group was however satisfied with the governments response that they would consider the plight of the disabled.

Kalai Selban who spoke for the Little People of Malaysia lamented that the disabled often made calls to communicate with other disabled people on their societies behalf.

We would face problems at home if our bills are high. We do not earn so much and may not be able to afford the extra cost, he said.

Meanwhile, Veerasingam said the points raised in the memorandum would be discussed with National Unity and Community Development minister Zaharah Sulaiman and raised in the cabinet meeting.

This can be resolved as a special case. As a caring society we should give all the amenities to the disabled community, he told the group.

Second memorandum

Meanwhile, representatives from consumer group ERA Consumers, were also present to submit a memorandum to the MPs.

N Marimuthu, who spoke on behalf of the non-governmental organisation, said that the memorandum was to express consumers dissatisfaction with the irrational increase in monthly telephone rental for domestic and business premises.

Marimuthu said the seven-paged memorandum protested against the inappropriate hike in telephone rates as the hike would also affect Internet usage.

There has been no change or improvement in Telekom services (but the rates have gone up. Telekoms image as a caring corporate organisation is confusing and has blinded the eyes of consumers, said Marimuthu, who is also national consumer body Fomcas vice-president.

He said the public should not be burdened by the rate hike which was only beneficial for the elite to make inter-state and international calls at the lower tariff, leaving the minority group to recover the costs.