KUALA LUMPUR: The issue of salary disparity faced by persons with disabilities (OKU) needs to be addressed, as they also have the same commitments as other able-bodied individuals and also face issues such as the rise in cost of living.
Senator Isaiah Jacob (pic) said he received feedback from the disabled community stating that a salary of RM1,200 was not enough to cover rising household expenses.
"With RM1,200, can they really manage, especially those who are married and have children? How can they buy necessities and other items?
"I ask the government and the Finance Ministry to take this matter seriously as it is about survival,” he said on the fifth day of the debate on the Supply Bill 2026 at Dewan Negara on Tuesday (Dec 9).
He also urged the government to raise the wages of Community Based Rehabilitation Facility workers so that they are at par with the minimum wage, as the workers work full time looking after children with disabilities, manage documentation, provide rehabilitation and clean the facilities.
Such a move, he added, was in line with a previous statement by the Human Resources Ministry that supervisors and workers of these facilities were subject to the Employment Act 1955.
The Dewan Negara sitting resumes tomorrow. — Bernama
