KUCHING: The 2021 Budget is not comprehensive for people with disabilities (OKU), opined Persatuan Anak Istimewa Sarawak (Perais) president Rapelson Richard Hamit.
Today he said the OKU group, senior citizens, and single mothers should be given more attention.
He noted that the government had increased the monthly welfare assistance for OKU, senior citizens, and carers of bed-ridden OKU and chronically ill patients, in addition to increasing the monthly incentive allowance for disabled workers and financial assistance for poor children.
He hoped that the state government would top-up these various welfare aids by RM100 to further assist the relevant groups.
“This allocation should be considered by the Sarawak government in the State Budget,” he said.
He said in the 2021 Budget, there were no special incentives or grants for OKU businesses which had been raised by the OKU group earlier in their call for massage parlours and stores run by the OKU to be taken into consideration.
“Special economic and business grants for the OKU should be given attention to sustain their businesses and prevent them from winding up. The same goes for grants for OKU associations, organisations, or clubs to ensure their continuation,” he said.
Rapelson welcomed the Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat initiative which would assist low- and medium-income groups, OKU, senior citizens, and single mothers.
“Perais also requests the state government to continue the Sarawakku Sayang Special Assistance (BKSS) initiative of RM250 for six months to help those in need, especially OKU, senior citizens, and single mothers, during this Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
Perais’ statement was supported by Isak Ngau, Society of the Blind in Malaysia Sarawak branch chairman, who said that visually impaired OKU were badly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic including 17 reflexology centres owned by OKU from Kuching to Miri, 80 massage practitioners, street buskers, and others.
