Housing Ministry to set up OKU panel to advise on policies

The Housing and Local Government Ministry plans to set up a new committee consisting of disabled persons (OKU) to advise the ministry.

Its minister Zuraida Kamaruddin told reporters today that this move was aimed at helping her ministry understand OKU better, and in turn create better policies that cater for disabled people's needs.

"We are looking to set up an OKU committee in the ministry to advise us about facilities (for disabled people), and (policies on) construction of buildings, among others.

"Perhaps, we will establish the committee at the ministry level first, before going to states and the local governments," she said during a press conference at her office in Putrajaya.

The ministry needs about six months to set up the committee and look into matters related to disabled persons, she added.

Earlier, she met with a group of OKU activists who briefed her about the grouses of disabled persons in regard to the adequacy of OKU-friendly facilities in the country.

According to Zuraida, the ministry is also mulling the creation of a special position in each local council in the country to allow at least one OKU to play an advisory role.

She said this was necessary to enable the group to advise local governments in a capacity similar to a local councillor, but one that does not require them to carry out normal councillor duties.

"We tried for one term in the Selangor government where we appointed OKU as councillors in local governments.

"However, we received many complaints from the public that the OKU councillors could not serve them due to their mobility constraint.

"So, what we plan (now) is to create a position for OKUs to be an adviser in local councils," she said.

Zuraida added that the ministry is also looking at full implementation of its regulations for OKU-friendly facilities at all buildings in the country.

She said the time has come to go for 100 percent enforcement of the law.

'Don't make us beg'

Meanwhile, during the meeting, the OKU activists also aired their grouses to Zuraida over the failure by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and her deputy Hannah Yeoh to meet the group last week.

Group spokesperson Anthony Thanasayan said they want Wan Azizah and Yeoh to apologise for not turning up when the activists went to their ministry on Thursday.

If they fail to do so, the group plans to stage a protest at Parliament, according to Anthony.

"It is our right (to meet the minister), don't make us beg, it is our right to see the people we elected.

"That is very important. But you are treating us like beggars now," he said.

Anthony also claimed that a Facebook post by Yeoh, in response to the group's complaint last week, had also caused her followers to attack them, and demanded that the deputy minister take it down.

On Thursday, Anthony and about 20 other activists, including representatives of OKU NGOs and Independent Living Training Centre, staged a protest in front of the ministry after Wan Azizah and Yeoh failed to meet them.

The group was there to relay its grouses over OKU-related issues, and to submit a memorandum on policies formulated for them, and also to improve the Welfare Department's programme to help the disabled. - Mkini