Discrimination in workplace must be ended

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Dozens of disabled persons in East Kalimantan staged a protest on Tuesday, demanding the government to end discrimination against them in the work place.

During the protest, which coincided with the Disabled Persons International Day, they also demanded the local government to implement central government regulations to punish the companies that barred them from entering private and government-owned firms.

In the protest, held in front of East Kalimantan's Social Affairs agency office, the protesters lashed out at the local government for failing to implement regulations, which specifically ruled that the companies must not discriminate against disabled persons. They also demanded a specific bylaw, wherein the local government would have to ensure employment for disabled persons.

They said that they "are given attention by the government, only when there is a social project in the Social Office."

Meanwhile, Syafrudin, the deputy chairman of East Kalimantan Social Affairs agency, said that the local government could not produce a bylaw that ensured employment for disabled persons.

"The issues have been adequately covered by the central government regulations," he said. There are approximately 1,000 disabled persons in registered in East Kalimantan. -- JP