Disability bill to get clearance in 1997

JAKARTA (JP): Legislators were optimistic yesterday the long awaited bill on disability, currently under deliberation, would be passed next January despite several glaring shortcomings.

Khofifah Indar Parawansa of the United Development Party (PPP) and Oelfah A.S. Ismanto of Golkar said the bill must be passed soon because people with disabilities need it and have been waiting for it for years.

Khofifah said the bill still lacks penalties for dealing with organizations in all fields which discriminate against people with a disability. Without this provision offenders in all fields, including education, cannot be punished, she said.

Schools of Psychology in several universities, for instance, still refuse to accept students in wheelchairs, she said.

"That is not fair. Physical disability does not affect a person's learning ability," she said.

Minister of Social Services Endang Kusuma Inten Suweno presented the bill on abilities to the House of Representatives in July.

Under the terms of the bill companies refusing to employ disabled workers face a maximum prison sentence of five years or a fine of up to Rp 100 million (US$42,553).

But the bill fails to specify what facilities or terms companies must offer their disabled workers.

"These details need to be specified so judges can decide penalties," she said.

"Without sanctions it is impossible to achieve the goals of the bill, which is to give disabled people equal rights and opportunities. People with disabilities also have a right to become legislators," she said.

Ideally the bill would specify how many disabled people a company should employ. The government should stipulate that 1 percent of each company's workforce must be recruited from the pool of disabled workers, she said.

Official 1995 statistics state that Indonesia has 5.9 million disabled people, 3.1 percent of the population.

Indonesia seeks to provide the 60 percent of its disabled citizens who are physically able to work with equal rights to employment by 2002.

Khofifah criticized the government-sponsored bill for shifting responsibility for disabled welfare to the community. The 1945 Constitution specifically stipulates the government is fully responsible for the disabled, she said.

"The community and private sector are only expected to participate in helping the disabled... not to take over the responsibility," Khofifah said.

"The bill needs to clearly define the government's responsibilities for the disabled," she said.

Oelfah agreed but said the bill must not be "too harsh" and should be passed soon because "the disabled have been waiting for it for years." (ste)