JP/4/disable

JP/4/disable

Disabled demand access to jobs

Moch. N. Kurniawan
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

The Indonesian Association of the Disabled (PPCI) urged employers
in the country on Thursday to comply with a law requiring that
one percent of their workforces be made up of disabled people.

"We have long been complaining about our difficulties in
getting jobs on account of out physical disabilities," PPCI
executive Gufran Sakaril said after a meeting with Vice President
Hamzah Haz.

During the meeting, PPCI executives reported on the
preparations for the national disabled games -- Abilympics II
2003 -- which will take place from Sept. 20 through Sept. 24 in
Cibinong, West Java.

Gufran said that many firms violated Law No. 4/1997 on rights
for the disabled, which prohibits firms from discriminating
against the disabled, and requires them to ensure that one
percent of their workforces are made up of the disabled.

The penalty for a violation was a maximum fine of Rp 200
million (US$23,500), but the law was not being enforced, he said.

Gufran suggested that companies take entrance test results,
instead of just physical appearance, into account when recruiting
employees.

An estimate 20 million people over 17 or married are disabled
in Indonesia.

Discrimination against the disabled in many public places is
still widespread. The most obvious example is the fact that many
public facilities, such as bus terminals, train stations and
offices, are not yet accessible to the disabled.

Some schools also refuse to accept sight-impaired students
even if they have passed the entrance examination.

Another senior executive of the PPCI, Irawan Santoso, called
for better access to public facilities for the disabled.

"Please give the disabled equal opportunities to use public
facilities," he said.

Gufran said Hamzah supported their demands and asked the PPCI
to encourage other disabled people to continuously call for equal
rights.