PETALING JAYA: Seven groups representing people with disabilities (PWD) have stated a agency “no” to the federal government’s proposed cashless month-to-month help programme, JKMPay.
The groups stated the programme will deliver extra burden than profit to them, and can contemplate marching to Parliament to protest if no motion is taken.
“We are also opposing JKMPay because we were not involved in the discussion about such policies – policies which affect our lives,” stated Malaysia Independent Living Association for Disabled (Milad) vice-president Noor Muha Aziz in a press convention held over Zoom on Saturday (Feb 26).
Six different non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been additionally current, together with the Independent Living Centre Malaysia, Persatuan Pemulihan Orang Cacat Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan, and Malaysian Spinal Cord Injury Advocacy Association.
Other NGOs have been the Boleh Space, Persatuan Orang Cacat Johor Baru and the Malaysia Spinal Injuries Association.
The groups have been additionally disillusioned with the JKMPay engagement session held with the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry on Thursday and Friday (Feb 24 and 25), saying that their grouses weren’t addressed.
“The minister said she was always ready to listen, understand and study all views, ideas, suggestions and constructive criticism for the interest of improvement in her Facebook post.
“But it is ironic because she and her deputy were not present in the session,” stated Noor Muha.
He stated NGOs that attended the engagement session have been solely in a position to ask a couple of questions and needed to hold to a short while body, whereas some questions have been unanswered.
JKMPay is pilot venture for welfare recipients, the place 50% of the money support is banked into their Bank Islam account.
The different 50% is saved in a JKMPay card that enables recipients to buy necessities, together with medicine, at 250 outlets registered with Bank Islam.
However, groups have acknowledged that this can create difficulties as it might restrict PWD to sure outlets which could not be close by or handy to them.
Noor Muha stated such a transfer additionally takes away the rights of PWD to make choices, together with the right way to spend their cash.
Earlier, in an announcement, the ministry stated the engagement session was to elucidate to welfare organisations about bettering companies for PWD and JKMPay.
“This session is also to receive feedback from the community on how to improve the delivery of the ministry’s services to them,” the Social Welfare Department (JKM) stated.
It stated issues together with who’s concerned within the JKMPay programme, how it will likely be carried out and what companies can be supplied beneath this initiative was defined intimately.
“The ministry through JKM will continue to boost the digitisation process of the public service in line with the Malaysian Digital Economy Blueprint under the 12th Malaysia Plan,” it stated, including that the intention of the blueprint is to hurry up the supply service to the general public for his or her profit.
It was reported in January that the JKM will research the effectiveness of JKMPay, following protests by particular curiosity groups over this specific methodology of support disbursement.
