By Amar-Singh HSS, San Yuenwah, Anit Kaur Randhawa and Ng Lai-Thin
Every 3 December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is commemorated. The theme for this year is “Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future”.
The 2024 commemoration presents a timely opportunity to evaluate whether progress has been made by the elected government, in line with the promises made in the party manifesto.
Today, 16% of the population lives with a disability. With care partners, we account for more than 30% of the Malaysian electorate. Hence, we hope the government of the day will listen to our concerns and put in place structural and policy changes to enable disabled people’s full inclusion in society.
In this article, we compare the Pakatan Harapan party election manifesto and action plans for disability inclusiveness with achievements after two years of governance.
Pakatan Harapan has the most comprehensive set of plans and promises for the disability community. The plans in the Barisan Nasional manifesto are minimal and appear almost as an afterthought.
The Pakatan Harapan party election manifesto uses appropriate disability language, has a clear section, with plans, on people with disabilities; recognises that people with disabilities make up 15% of the Malaysian population; and recognises the need to remove barriers to enable meaningful participation by people with disabilities.
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The table below summarises the plans and promises with actual achievements.
| Pakatan Harapan (PH) manifesto contents | Achievements by Anwar’s ‘Madani’ government |
| To set up a people with disabilities department or agency to deal with all areas and prioritise people with disabilities – infrastructure, education, coordinating various ministries, welfare/needs, future challenges and quality of life. | Not achieved Even the “Pelan Tindakan OKU” (disable people action plan) which expired on 31 December 2022 has not been renewed. |
| Appointment of a people with disabilities commissioner in Suhakam to help champion the rights and combat against all forms of discrimination. | Not achieved |
| Increase the number of facilities and public transport that are disabled people -friendly, while also ensuring that development projects fulfil universal design standards. | Work in progress No legislation to enable this
|
| Special allocation for improving the education of people with disabilities, including the disabled people-friendliness of the education system and infrastructure. | Yearly budgets (standard practice) include allocation for special education programmes in Ministry of Education schools, but not for supporting students with disabilities enrolled in mainstream classrooms.
|
| Zero reject policy for technical and vocational education and training | Not achieved People with disabilities comprise only 0.55% of students enrolled in public universities (including community colleges and polytechnics) |
| Employment and economic opportunities for disabled people:· Eliminate employment discrimination based on physical or mental ability · Quota for people with disabilities from minority groups for skills training · Quota for people with disabilities from minority groups in grants for small businesses and home industries. | · No amendments to Federal Constitution or Employment Act · No policy to enable this · No policy to enable this |
| Disaster resilience – support for peoples with disabilities | No policy to enable this |
| Enact a senior citizens act – Prepare for an ageing nation through professionalising the caregiver sector, and providing caregivers’ allowances and assistance, mobile caregiving services and one-stop caregiving facilities. | Senior citizens bill expected to be tabled in 2024 but has been delayed |
| Provide housing that fulfils universal design standards | No policy to enable and enforce compliance regarding housing |
As the table shows, of the promises made to the disability community and care partners, hardly any have been achieved after two years in office. This performance rating would not even achieve an E grade.
Plans and promises are good but the proof is in the pudding, as the saying goes. When the rights of people with disabilities are not made real, year after year, it is a gross failure of governance.
It is vital to keep promises made. Otherwise, politicians worsen the already bad trust deficit. In the end, party manifestos end up being mere empty words.
In the end, it boils down to legislation. As long as we do not amend Articles 8(2) and 12(1) of the Federal Constitution to expressly prohibit discrimination on the grounds of disability, as long as we do not amend the toothless Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 to give it the scope and powers to enforce the rights of people with disabilities, any plans and actions of any government cannot be challenged or questioned.
We had looked to this government to improve the conditions for inclusion as a universal human right for all Malaysians. But it appears that the disability community may have to continue caring for itself.
Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS, San Yuenwah, Anit Kaur Randhawa and Ng Lai-Thin are part of The OKU Rights Matter Project.
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- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
