KUALA LUMPUR, 13 September 2007-Budget 2008 brought happy news for the disabled community but more can be done to improve their lot.
THE Budget 2008 is a happy budget for all Malaysians. It is aimed at improving the quality of life of everybody. Malaysians with disabilities will get a piece of the pie.
As of Jan 1 next year, employers who renovate their workplace to accommodate wheelchair and other disabled employees will be eligible for tax deductions on the cost incurred.
Disabled workers can also look forward to receiving a monthly allowance of RM300 – an increase of RM100.
Caregivers of bedridden disabled Malaysians, as well as patients with chronic illnesses, will be eligible for special financial assistance of RM300 per month.
With such goodies in the bag, why then were some handicapped leaders and their caregivers whom I interviewed, not beaming from ear to ear?
“The increase in allowance should be viewed as the first of many measures required in getting the handicapped on the road to financial independence,” said Chong Tuck Meng, adviser of the Kuala Lumpur-based Perwira K9 Malaysia, an NGO for the disabled.
“After 50 years of Merdeka, all disabled Malaysians in the country should be eligible for financial assistance, whether they have jobs or not. The amount should be a minimum of RM500 a month to help meet their financial needs.”
Chong, who was paralysed in an accident 25 years ago, said the severely disabled or those with multiple handicaps, would not be able to work in a regular office setting.
“For such persons, the high medical bills and other living expenses is a never-ending nightmare, especially when they have no income,” he added.
Roxanna Lim, 53, had serious reservations about whether she and others in her position would qualify for financial assistance as caregivers.
Lim is the adoptive mother of Wong Lee Foong, a profoundly disabled 22-year-old. Being the caregiver of a profoundly disabled child is a very expensive affair; bear in the mind the transportation costs for ongoing therapy, life-long medication, adult diapers, etc.
Lim has been receiving financial aid since 1994, two years after adopting Lee Foong.
Initially, the Welfare Department gave Lim RM50 a month to help her look after her paralysed daughter, who requires 24-hour care.
The amount grew over the years to RM75, then RM100 and finally RM250, when Lee Foong was in her mid-teens. However, when she reached 18, the money stopped coming in.
According to Lim, the Welfare Department told her that the payment made out to her would now have to bear Lee Foong’s signature if the aid were to continue.
Lim’s numerous attempts to explain to the department about her daughter’s profound disability, fell on deaf ears.
The financial aid ceased, making life extremely difficult for the duo. For four years until February this year, Lim did not hear from the authorities.
She took up the matter with an MP who intervened on her behalf, to get the Welfare Department to allocate RM175 monthly for the mother and daughter.
However, up till last week, they have yet to receive any aid, except for a letter which informed Lim that she can collect their allocation – valid from July this year until June next year – next week.
In the meantime, let us hope that the authorities responsible for delivering the Budget 2008 goodies will do everything they can to ensure that the needy ones can get financial aid with minimum hassle.
by thestar
