The blind want more govt jobs

By NAVEEN MATHEW MENON
KUALA LUMPUR
streets@nst.com.my

THE blind community had a lot of questions and opinions to put forward about the problems faced by the visually impaired in civil service and especially the Public Service New Remuneration Scheme (SBPA), at a symposium held at the Malaysian Association For The Blind (MAB).

(From left) Mohammed Nazari, Zakaria and Ja’apar fielding questions from the audience at the symposium in Kuala Lumpur recently. Pic by Afiq Razali

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The symposium was jointly organised by the Malaysian Association For The Blind (MAB), Society Of The Blind In Malaysia (SBM), Congress Of Unions Of Employees in the Public And Civil Services (Cuepacs), Public Service Department and Public Service Commission.

Among those present were Cuepacs financial secretary Ja'apar Mansor, SMB president Mohammed Nazari Othman and Universiti Kuala Lumpur senior lecturer Zakaria Osman.

Nazari said that the government should absorb more blind workers into the civil service as there had been a severe lack of hiring of the blind in the last four years.

"The blind also want to contribute to the betterment of the nation like sighted people."

He said it is constitutional right to have access to employment on equal basis with persons without disabilities.

Nazari said that there are currently 26,000 visually impaired individuals in Malaysia and 331,000 disabled people registered with the government.

One of the issues brought up by participants was the unpopular "Exit Policy" under the SBPA, which was not part of the old Skim Saraan Malaysia (SSM).

They felt that the blind would be disadvantaged by this policy as they will be judged against the sighted and this will seem unfair.