Editorial | Online edition of Daily News

Enabling the disabled to be effective

We rejoice with the disabled of Sri Lanka over the initiatives launched by the State to make public buildings and kindred infrastructure facilities accessible to the disabled who are well over one million in number.

In terms of recently gazetted regulations, duly passed by Parliament, in three years from now, all public buildings and common amenities should contain facilities which would make them easily accessible to the disabled and facilitate easy movement by the latter.

This development is really a triumph for humanity, because most civic-conscious persons and groups, including us, have joined the disabled, over the years, to champion this progressive measure. At the heart of the measure are the concepts of equity and fairness which constitute the essence of democracy.

Therefore, justice and fairplay for our disabled are also a triumph of the democratic spirit. In other words, Sri Lanka is a fuller and richer democracy as a result of the fairplay thus extended to the disabled.

Now that the relevant rules and regulations have been gazetted we call for their speedy implementation. For, we hope these rules would not end up being a dead letter in the legislative history of this country.

We need hardly say that many a well-meaning measure has remained ossified among the reams and reams of beaucratic rules and regulations which have come off the pen of local officialdom. Please ensure that the same does not happen to these well-meaning measures aimed at the disabled, is our request.

It is not often realised that the disabled among us may be more numerous than we imagine. In this category are not only those citizens who suffer from visible disabilities, such as deafness, blindness and paralysis of limbs. Today the disabled also include the elderly, the sick and pregnant mothers. In short, all those who are compelled to be dependent on others for their existence.

Accordingly, the disabled among us could be considerable and also on the increase. This is the reason why the necessary legislation must not only be passed but implemented swiftly. By doing so, we would be bringing to fulfilment a Mahinda Chinthana pledge.

In the process of implementing these measures, we should guard against adopting a condescending attitude towards the disabled. For, they are in need of no one’s charity. The disabled are brimming with latent capabilities and should be only given an opportunity to be of service to humanity.

In fact, in the performance of some tasks they may be as capable or even better than those considered “normal” and not in need of assistance. For example, some scholars, artistes and technicians of repute have been disabled persons. Besides some institutions for the disabled are run by the disabled themselves.

Therefore, the disabled are a rich resource which could be used for the country’s development. We should quickly put in place the enabling environment which could make them doubly effective.

We hope that with the necessary facilities being added to our public places, the disabled among us would go about their chores independently and prove their value as Sri Lankans.

We also need to realise with these changes that they are not among the marginalised who should be shunned by society. May they enter the public mainstream by acquiring the longed for access facilities.

Preventive Confinement and the Security of State

As little ones in school, one of the stories that we revelled in was Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. In one instance, we find Alice being confused by an argument adduced by the queen in support of preventive confinement. The queen tells Alice that the king’s messenger is in prison, being punished and the trial does not even begin until the following week.