Activity Report
There are 2 program held by AGENDA to promote elections access for PWD (persons with disabilities) :
1) Capacity Building Workshop (Jan 30 & 31, 2012)
2) Regional Dialogue on Access to Elections for Persons with Disabilities (Feb 1 & 2, 2012)
Capacity Building Workshop
(Jan 30 & 31, 2012) Jakarta
The workshop basically aimed at providing technical information on AGENDA’s sub-award system and requirements. Participants consist of DPOs and CSOs from 7 ASEAN countries (with exception of Thailand, Laos, Brunei Darus-salam and Singapore). Workshop focused more on DPOs. MAFREL as the CSO provide on election processes.
Malaysia is represented by both DPO (MCD) and CSO (MAFREL) – Bathmavathy Krishnan (Secretary) and Adam Malek Miskun of MCD. Hasnah Hashim represented MAFREL.
The topics covered during the 2-days’ workshop were :
a) AGENDA General Overview
b) Accessible Election
c) Monitoring the Accessible Election
d) Sub-awards
e) Reporting
f) Performance Management Plan (PMP)
g) Finance
h) Advocacy towards Election Management Bodies (EMB) – SPR
i) Research
j) General Election Overview
k) Index
l) Coordination mechanism – information for website and index
m) Coordination on the election monitoring activity (participants = Malaysia, Cambodia & Timor Leste)
Participant Conclusion :
1. AGENDA add a significant insight into special voters’ (disabled) rights. This is could be one of MAFREL’s way forward agenda; considering PWDs is averaged at 15% from total population – many may not register as voters or able to cast votes due to inaccessibility issues.
2. AGENDA aim = access to PWDs to be able to cast their votes, not whether the election is free and fair. Eg. Polling Day = project’s observation only focus on polling process (exclude counting & tallying processes).
3. AGENDA promote PWDs voters to cast their own votes; not assisted by non-PWDs.
4. AGENDA program on Voter Education for PWDs complements MAFREL’s.
5. The deliverables (reports-weekly, quarterly, financial & activity) are more stringent compared to other international funders experienced by MAFREL.
Regional Dialogue on Access to Elections for Persons with Disabilities
(Feb 1 & 2, 2012) Jakarta
The conference aimed at promoting PWDs rights to participate in political process of their countries.
Participants consist of DPOs and CSOs from all ASEAN countries (except Singapore). UN-ESCAP, ASEAN, Australia, South Korea, Japan, IFES, NDI were invited as speakers.
Malaysia is represented by DPO, CSO, EMB and related government agency :
a) MCD – Bathmavathy Krishnan (Secretary) & Adam Malek Miskun
b) MAFREL – Col (R) Sahahrudin Othman & Hasnah Hashim
c) SPR – Mohamad Mahmud (Kelantan State Election Director)
d) Department of Social Welfare Malaysia – Pathmanathan R Nalasamy (Principal Assistant Director of Department for Development of PWDs)
The topics covered during the 2-days’dialogue were :
a) Why the disability community needs to talk about rights
b) CRPD – the challenge of implementing electoral rights ‘A discussion on Article 29’
c) Access to Election – learning from best practices in the Southeast Asia Region ‘Article 29 in practice’
d) Voter Education
e) Electoral laws and disability
f) Engagement with wider human rights community
g) Experiencing an accessible election (+ election simulation)
h) Bali Declaration – Ensuring the Right to Political Participation is addressed in the ASEAN Communities Framework
i) The essential role of EMBs in facilitating elections that are accessible to persons with disabilities
j) Assistive technology (and other tools) to promote accessible elections
k) Disabilities and elections in Southeast Asia Region – an evolving concept and the way forward
l) Learning Together – Reviewing and Refining Disability Access Monitoring Tools
Participants’ Conclusion :
1. SPR does not provide access for PWDs to cast votes on their own, rather to use family members and assistants to cast their votes for them.
2. SPR/ Malaysia still have a long way to go to provide election access for PWDs.
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