OPENING SPEECH
BY
YBHG. DR. ROSE LENA BINTI LAZEMI
SECRETARY GENERAL
MINISTRY OF WOMEN,
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
FOR
“INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR PERSON WITH DISABILITIES”
3RD DECEMBER 2016
GRAND DORSETT HOTEL, SUBANG
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Bismillahir Rahman Nirrahim
"In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Compassionate".
Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh and a very good morning
to all of you.
YBhg. Datin Paduka Khatijah Sulaiman
President
Selangor Cheshire Home
YBhg. Datuk Rowland Chin Kok Fah
President
Malaysian Council of Cheshire Homes and Services (MCCHS)
YBrs. Dr. Sulaiman Abd. Mutalib
Deputy President
Malaysian Council for Rehabilitation
YH. Dato’ Setia Amar Segara Dato Sri Hj. Halim b. Hj. Ibrahim
President
Majlis Kebajikan & Pembangunan Masyarakat Kebangsaan Malaysia
(MAKPEM)
Ms. Karen Song
Vice Consular of British High Commissioner Kuala Lumpur
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Ms. Florence Mayol-Dupont
Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of France in Malaysia
YBhg. Dato’ Hj. Zulkiply b. Ramli
Ketua Pengarah
Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat
His Excellency Mr. Veali Vagi
High Commissioner of Papua New Guinea
Ms. Camelai Narcis Todose
Secretary & Deputy Head of Mission of Embassy of Romania
His Excellency Mr. Herman Prayitno
Duta Besar Republik Indonesia
Tan Sri – Tan Sri, Puan Sri – Puan Sri, Datuk – Datuk, Datin – Datin,
distinguish guests, ladies and gentlemen
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INTRODUCTION
1.
First and foremost, may all praises be to the Almighty, by whose
Grace and Blessings, we are gathered here today to celebrate the
International Day for Persons with Disabilities. As we all know, this
celebration is marked and celebrated around the world, yearly on 3rd
December. Today’s celebration is a sign that our country is and will
always deliver its best for the well-being of all Persons with
Disabilities. It gives me great pleasure and indeed an honour for the
Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development to be
invited as a guest to partake in the celebration of Persons with
Disabilities. With that, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the
Malaysian Council of Cheshire Home and Services, Selangor
Cheshire Homes and Malaysian Council for Rehabilitation in
organising this wonderful event.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
THE
ELEVENTH
MALAYSIA
PLAN
AND
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT GOALS
2.
According to the World Report on Disability 2010 published by the
World
Health
Organisation
(WHO)
and
the
World
Bank,
approximately 15% of every population in a country are persons
with disabilities. Based on the current population in Malaysia, this
would mean there are approximately 4.5 million Persons with
Disabilities in the country. As of November 2016, there are 404,260
Persons with Disabilities registered with the Department of Social
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Welfare. However, I believe that there are a lot more out there who
are not registered with us.
3.
The theme of today’s celebration namely “Achieving 17 Goals for
Future We Want: Access for Persons with Disabilities in Education,
Employment and All Rights” is in line with the Eleventh Malaysia Plan
and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with their emphasis
on “no one should be left behind”.
4.
As we all know, Malaysia has embarked on its five-year development
plan - the Eleventh Malaysia Plan, from 2016 to 2020. In many
aspects, the plan mirrors the multi-dimensional nature of the
SDGs, and has been formulated with the people at the centre of all
development efforts. Both the Eleventh Malaysia Plan and SDGs lay
the foundation for a future of greater inclusion for all, including
Persons with Disabilities.
5.
In the Eleventh Malaysia Plan, the Government will continue to focus
on enhancing inclusiveness and equitable opportunities for all
Malaysians. For Persons with Disabilities, the focus of the Eleventh
Malaysia Plan is to provide a more conducive and friendly
environment for active, productive and independent living. This
will be done through creating a friendly physical environment for
persons with disabilities and expanding training and skills
development to increase employability.
6.
Barrier-free access to public places is an important element of
independent living. To this end, the enforcement of the Uniform
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Building By-Laws for Universal Access 1984 will be strengthened to
ensure compliance with universal design and creating a disabledfriendly physical environment. Existing government buildings will also
be upgraded in compliance with the By-Laws. To further encourage
independent living of persons with disabilities, community-based
Independent Living Centres will be established with the
participation of NGOs. Through this Plan, the Government with the
cooperation of the private sector aims to add 7 new Independent
Living Centres throughout the country, which will benefit almost 11
thousand Persons with Disabilities.
7.
During the 11th Malaysia Plan, more programmes will be implemented
to empower productive Persons with Disabilities. More access to
basic education and skills training will be provided, including
entrepreneurship, to build relevant skills among Persons with
Disabilities to further improve their employability by both the public
and private sector. For the public sector, the government has set a
target of at least 1% employability of Persons with Disabilities.
Currently, there are almost 4 thousand persons with disabilities
serving in the public sector. Despite all these existing efforts, I believe
there is still room for improvement and more efforts to be undertaken
in ensuring the acceleration on the employability of Persons with
Disabilities.
8.
In the recent 2017 Budget announcement, the government has
allocated a sum of RM535 million to Persons with Disabilities
including employee allowance, disabled children training allowance
and assistance for Persons with Disabilities who are unable to work.
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This assistance programme will benefit nearly 150,000 people.
Additionally, the government has also announced the Good &
Services Tax relief for the purchase of aid equipment for registered
Persons with Disabilities without having to go through Private Welfare
Entities.
MINISTRY
OF
WOMEN,
FAMILY
AND
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT’S EFFORTS
Ladies and Gentlemen,
9.
In ensuring Persons with Disabilities enjoy equal opportunities, full
participation in the society and be mainstreamed into the national
agenda, Malaysia has ratified the Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities on 19 July 2010, thus joining the global
community in affirming the human rights of persons with disabilities.
10. Prior to that, the government had formulated the Policy and Plan of
Action for the Persons with Disabilities in 2007, and enacted the
Persons with Disabilities Act 2008. In addition, the government had
established the National Council for Persons with Disabilities in
August 2008 which is chaired by the Minister of Women, Family and
Community Development. In March 2016 the government has
approved a new Plan of Action for Persons with Disabilities
(2016-2022) which is based on the general principles and obligations
stipulated in The Incheon Strategy.
11. As you all know, we have introduced community-based rehabilitation
or CBR as one of the mediums to improve the equalization of
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opportunities and social inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. As of
today, there are 527 CBR centres in Malaysia and CBR
programmes are carried out as on home based, centre based and
centre home based. Recently, in September 2016 the ministry with
our respective NGO partners has organised a 2nd CBR World
Congress 2016. The theme of this international congress is
“Empowering and Enabling” which centred to highlight the
importance of empowering Persons with Disabilities, family members
and communities in order to facilitate the mainstreaming of disability
across each sector and to ensure that everybody is able to access
their rights.
12. With that spirit highlighted, I am sure that if each and everyone of us
is given opportunity and support, one can excel and create wonders.
This is proven by the achievement of our Paralympian athletes
namely Ridzuan Puzi, Ziyad Zolkefli, Abdul Latif Romly and Siti Noor
Radiah Ismail during the Paralympic Games Rio 2016. They have
proven that their disability is no barrier for them to achieve success
with the right opportunity and supports.
13. All these are evidences that the government is fully committed to the
well-being and welfare of its disabled citizens and will continue to give
the necessary support on ensuring a meaningful and beneficial
service, not only for the disabled but for the community, as a whole.
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Ladies and Gentlemen,
14. I am sure you would agree with me that our primary concern is to
focus on enhancing inclusiveness and equitable opportunities for all
Persons with Disabilities. Achieving that goal requires a concerted
effort and unwavering commitment from every segment of society,
encompassing among others the government sector, academia,
NGOs and members of the community.
15. We must always bear in mind that future challenges that will confront
nations will only get increasingly difficult and complex as time goes
by. Therefore, we need to design and develop programmes as well
as mechanisms not only to equip the Person with Disabilities on the
possible complexities of tomorrow but to make possible an inclusive
world. To quote Helen Keller “The welfare of each is bound up in
the welfare of all”.
16. On that note it is with great pleasure that I now officiate the
International Day for Person with Disabilities with the theme
"Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want: Access for Person with
Disabilities in Education, Employment and All Rights.".
17. Wabillahitaufik Walhidayah Wasallam Mualaikum W.B.T. Thank you.
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