KUCHING, Feb 10: Sarawak Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Women’s secretary Cherishe Ng today urges both the federal and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government to review the minimum wage for the differently abled (OKU) in a bid to improve their living standards.
Ng in a press statement today said both the state and federal governments ought to improve social welfare benefits for this group so they can maintain their basic livelihoods as they are unable to work.
At the same time, Ng supports the calls from Persatuan Anak Istimewa Sarawak (Perais) to the state government to implement a RM250 monthly subsistence allowance for OKU under the Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang (BKSS) Scheme.
“The subsistence aid should last for a period of six months with an extra one-off RM500 for OKU members to ease their woe.
“This is especially important in times of the Covid-19 pandemic where their livelihood has been severely affected,” she said.
Meanwhile, the appeal for subsistence allowance to the state government was made at a food aid relief event assisting OKU residents in Kampung Batu Gong and at Bengkel Sri Sarawak last Sunday (Feb 7).
A total of 26 OKU residents in Kampung Batu Gong and Bengkel Sri Sarawak benefitted from the food aid relief scheme.
Ng reiterated that the relief scheme was part of the food aid drive launched by PKR’s Kuching and Stampin branches earlier in January 2021.
Among those present at the function were PKR Kuching chairman Dominique Ng, PKR Stampin chairman David Chow, PKR Stampin secretary Peter Fong and Perais president Rapelson Richard Hamit.
Ng expresses gratitude towards Rapelson for raising up issues faced by the working OKU in relation to Covid-19 to PKR Sarawak.
She hoped that the party’s food aid relief scheme for the OKU community could act as a catalyst for others to do likewise and encourage more political parties and organisations engage in similar charitable activities.
She noted that based on feedback from village residents and Perais, the income for OKU has declined drastically since Covid-19 surfaced.
Ng also noted that many OKU have lost their sources of income as they were unable to work when restricted movement orders were imposed.
Thus, she called on both the state and federal governments to look into their plight and improving their social welfare benefits. — DayakDaily
