By Bida Elly David
A civil society activist has urged appointed members of parliament living with disabilities to proclaim and stand for the inclusion of persons with disability into the government system at all sectors.
Speaking to No.1.Citizen Daily Newspaper Yesterday, Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director for the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization said the MPs should push the government to ratify and consider the rights of persons with disability as indicated in the UN convention.
“I am calling upon the appointed members of parliament with disability to stand for national commitment to ensure that the government of South Sudan ratify and consider the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disability. I believe that these members of parliament with disability are representing very strong constituencies requesting them to take the responsibility of representing the voices of persons with disabilities both in the States and the National Parliament’’ He said
Yakani said informing the society of persons with disability about their role of representation would be of great importance.
“They should really demonstrate to the society of persons with disability that they are really capable to perform their task. Since we are civil society Organization, we have been advocating for their rights’’ He stated.
The CEPO’s Executive Director urged the government and the public to refrain using wrong words for describing persons with disabilities.
“We also need the use of wrong language describing the persons with disability to be stopped” he stressed.
“Our constitution is describing persons with disabilities as persons with special needs which is totally wrong. Our leaders went as far as describing them as disabled people which is critically not needed as per the adjectives applied. I am calling upon the parliamentarians to speedily correct the wrong language used for describing persons with disability included in the constitution” he added
Yakani further said that priorities for persons living with disabilities should also be put in account whether being at the national and States budget to also benefit them as other citizens.
“We need their priorities to be considered in all the sectors whether being in the health, cultural or education sectors, they should be considered. It is upon the MPs representing persons with disability to stand up proclaiming the needs for persons with disability’’ the activist reiterated.
“CEPO is working towards organizing a national conference with the Members of Parliament representing persons with disabilities to discuss the national framework on the inclusion of persons with disability in all their works. We hope that MPS will be ready to pursue their focus or alliances for persons with disabilities’’ he concluded.