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KL To Become A Leader In Disabled-friendly City In Malaysia - Shahrizat
BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Bernama) -- Kuala Lumpur will become the leader in disabled-friendly development programmes in Malaysia through the enforcement and coordination of standard guidelines for infrastructure construction, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
She said she would table a proposal on the matter to the Cabinet soon to enable development in Kuala Lumpur to be emulated by other cities.
She said Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) should become the pioneer in the programme to ensure that all infrastructures available in the city were made disabled-friendly.
"If DBKL can show the way, standardised disabled-friendly infrastructure in the city can be emulated by others. We are not a disabled-friendly country as compared to other countries," she said after closing a conference on universal design and facilities for public transportation and buildings, here Tuesday.
She said among the factors which hampered disabled-friendly development in the country were weaknesses in enforcement by local authorities and the lack of guidelines in the construction of disabled-friendly infrastructure.
Shahrizat said her ministry had taken the first step to make the United Nations Convention of Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) a success by giving priority to two major issues concerning the disabled, namely accessibility and employment opportunity.
As such, she said the local authorities should also set up their own special units to monitor the issues concerning the disabled and, if possible, hire the disabled as their staff.
Additional Information
Country: Malaysia
Website: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=479237
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Source: Mail from: TSUCHIYA Michiko
When: 09/3/2010
