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.