Disabled Insist on their right to see ministers

Two disabled men, Effa Barnes, a blind man and Tsawodzi George a cripple took the recent Peoples’ Assembly by storm and protested loudly about the attitude of ministers and their secretaries who have declared a total black out for the disabled in the country.
He said they continue to face all sorts of roadblocks in their bid to meet with ministers and discuss issues with them. “Anytime we go to the ministries to see the ministers, the secretaries tell us they are not there, when we know they are there”, Barnes complained to President Kufuor.
This was after the MCs for the occasion , Nana Ohene Ntow and Oboshie Sai had signaled the end of the programme after President Kufuor had provided answers to last set of questions. Not to be outdone by the intimidating atmosphere, Barnes and George hung around the microphone, hoping the MCs’ eyes would catch them. As president Kufuor rounded up his delivery, George (crippled in both legs) hopped across to the organizers and demanded the right for the disabled to ask the president a question. They were eventually allowed to do so.
According to Barnes, secretaries to various ministers only attend to them whenever they visit their offices even though they sometimes suspect the ministers to be present. ‘We the disabled in Ghana have been neglected for a long time and I think it is time we did something to change our situation’, he asked.
Answering the question, President John Agyekum Kufuor advised ministers of state to make themselves available to all people in the society including the disabled.
When Mr. George Tsawodzi, who is also disabled and the Director of Smart Vision Farm in the Volta Region, took his turn, he asked the president to assist him to purchase a tractor to help him on his farm.
Narrating his story, he said his farm got burnt some time ago and he was only given some household items by the National Disaster Management Organization, (NADMO). He said he has since been trying to put the farm back in shape, but still having difficulties, particularly with regards to accessing credit from the bank to purchase a tractor.
In response, President Kufuor promised to offer him any form of assistance he might need in relation to acquiring the said loan.
Also close to the hearts of the disabled and physically challenged is the delay in the passing of the Disability Bill. Contributing at a forum on the 2005 budget recently Chris Kesseih of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled said the 2005 budget did not highlight the plight of the disabled. Kesseih wondered why the government was dragging its feet on the Disability Bill arguing that the bill will create the enabling environment for them to contribute their quota to national development.
Last year, members of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled held a demonstration which was climaxed by the presentation resolutions to the then Deputy Attorney General Gloria Akuffo and the Minister for Manpower Development and Employment, Yaw Barimah.
Meanwhile the numbers of the disabled on the streets keep increasing each day. Whereas some are perceived to have genuine reasons for being on the streets, others are apparently in the business just for selfish gains. Poverty and incapability are often assigned as the major and genuine reasons for begging by the disabled. The business seems to be brisk particularly in the capital city.
As a result, most of them travel from other regions to do business in Accra. Whereas majority of them have genuine reasons to be on the streets, others are there for their own selfish gains.
Majority claim to be breadwinners in their homes and some claim that although they have learnt some form of vocation, they are on the streets because they lack capital.
A significant feature about begging business currently is the use of aids or assistants. Children as young as four years are being used as begging assistants. Perhaps the sudden interest in the business could be attributed to the alleged huge wages these assistants are given at the close of day.
Interestingly, the beggars in Accra do have choices. Majority of them often times reject monies offered to them in silver coins, while others choose to beg only from people in private vehicles.
But in recent times, special schemes have been introduced to equip these beggars with vocational skills, which they are expected to use for income generation. A lot the beggars say they are too old to be trained. The few who take up such training say they are unable to use their skills because of lack of capital.
It is common knowledge that even people who look capable to work have chosen to be on the streets because of the huge amount of money they make. The activities of these beggars are not only an eye sore, they create panic as they parade the busy roads even when there is intense vehicular traffic. Others who operate on the pavements apart from generating human traffic are equally exposed to dangers such as being run over by a car.
These beggars are also guilty of littering the environment of streets. People give to them for various reasons. While some see it as a religious duty, others give out of pity. Some Ghanaians seem to be upset about the situation and have attributed it to the increasing number of beggars on the streets to the failure by parliament to pass a bill on the rights of the disabled.