Disabled Indonesians fight for rights

Disabled Indonesians fight for rights

Christina Schott, Contributor, Jakarta

Getting away from the traffic-clogged streets of Jakarta to visit
Niken's house in Depok on the outskirts of Jakarta is like a
perfect idyll: Visitors enter a garden with colorful flowers, the
calming sound of flowing water and some chickens clucking in the
background.

But there is something else very special here: you will
nowhere find a step or a stair -- for Niken Basuki is confined to
a wheelchair.

The 32-year-old woman has not always been handicapped. Her
suffering started in 1992, when an inoperable growth was found in
her back, which led slowly to the total paralysis of her legs.

"Before, I never seriously thought about the problems of
handicapped people", Niken says. "I often thought about the bad
condition of the sidewalks in Jakarta since I had studied urban
planning. But I never imagined how difficult accessibility could
be in Indonesia if you are disabled."

Receiving her first treatment in Rotterdam, the Netherlands,
where the facilities for handicapped people are quite advanced,
Niken very soon had to face the reality of confinement to a
wheelchair when she came back to Indonesia. Simply visiting a
supermarket became a nightmare, and at her university they had to
build special facilities so that she could continue her studies.

"But I'm still lucky", Niken says. "I have a family which
lovingly supports me. I can pay for my treatment to a certain
extent and our house can be rebuilt according to my needs. Most
disabled people in Indonesia are in a much worse situation."

Unfortunately this is a fact. Visiting most public buildings
in Indonesia, like schools, offices or shopping malls, is almost
impossible for handicapped people. Partly resulting from this, it
is extremely difficult for them to access normal education or the
job market, let alone try to take out health insurance.

"Being disabled in Indonesia means always being on your own",
says Siswadi, the president of the Indonesian Association of the
Disabled (PPCI). "Nobody takes responsibility for your problems
-- you have to arrange and to pay all by yourself."

The PPCI was founded in 1987 as an umbrella organization for
18 member associations representing people with all kinds of
disabilities, such as blindness, deafness and mental disability.

Since that time, the PPCI has become the coordinator,
consultant and advocate in respect of all the concerns of its
members -- whether in official talks with the government, in
national campaigns or in undertaking international cooperation.

The vision and the aim of the PPCI is nothing less than
reaching a situation where there is equality of opportunities and
full participation for Indonesian disabled people in all aspects
of life, and to fight for a society that cares for its
handicapped members.

"Up until now disabled people are often not accepted as equal
human beings in Indonesian society", Siswadi says. "Especially in
the rural areas they are still hidden, treated like animals or
left alone by their families who are ashamed about what they
think is a curse or a punishment by God."

When Siswadi lost his right arm in a car crash, he was 25 and
already running his own real estate business. "First it was
difficult to accept my fate", he says, "but now I see it as a
mission from God to help other people by promoting awareness of
their problems in public."

His latest success has been the confirmation by the government
that special facilities for handicapped people will be provided
all over the country during the general election in 2004. This
means that around 10 percent of the Indonesian population
(according to 2002 WHO statistics) will have the possibility of
voting for the first time in their lives.

"It doesn't matter which belief you adhere to, in every
religion all people are supposed to be equal in front of their
God. But we forget too often about the disabled in this country",
says Cecep Effendi, rector of the Islamic University (UNISMA) in
Bekasi, who recently became a member of the PPCI.

Consequently, Effendi wants to improve the awareness and
knowledge of his students about handicapped people -- not only by
building new facilities for disabled students, but also by
sending some of his students to schools for handicapped pupils to
experience their specific educational needs.

"Indonesia is still a developing country as regards disabled
people. We want to set a good example so that others may be
influenced and follow our lead," Effendi says.

Despite all the difficulties, some changes can already be
seen. While the PPCI ten years ago mainly had to deal with
charity issues, they can nowadays argue about human rights. There
are some new laws which favor the disabled, including laws
concerning health treatment and the access to the job market. But
there is still a long way to go for disabled people's
organizations in Indonesia.

Paralyzed Niken summarized the problems in her hope for the
future: "I will only feel equal when people on the street don't
stare any more at me like I was an Alien, when I can get around
without problems and when I finally can work in the job I trained
in -- planning good urban facilities for everybody."

* The PPCI can be reached via e-mail at pkms2001@hotmail.com
* Niken Basuki, who runs a creative studio for handmade recycled
paper products, can be contacted at crie48@infoasia.net.id