Presentation of an inter-party parliamentary lobby group for the rights of people with handicap 

For a decent life of those who need help

Five to ten percent of the population in Macedonia has some handicap, while 500. 000 citizens of our country are concerned directly or indirectly from their personal handicap, handicap of a family member or handicap of a friend. In 2003, which was announced as year of the handicapped, an inter-party parliamentary lobby group for the rights of the people with handicap was formed as part of the Macedonian Parliament, for the first time in Macedonia.

“ According to the constitution everybody is entitled to have a decent life”, said Liljana Popovska, representative of the Liberal-Democratic political party in the parliament, which is the party president of the inter-party parliamentary lobby group for the rights of people with handicap. “ What the inter-parliamentary group has accomplished so far, is the adoption of the Declaration for protection and promotion of the people with special needs; the Labour relations act for people with special needs has been amended; and of great importance was the change of the regulations for procurement of orthopedic helping means which implied a decrease of the participation from 40% to 10%”- explained Popovska. 

The future of the inter-party parliamentary lobby group for the rights of people with handicap holds the amending of the Act for space planning and building and amendments in the Customs’ Law.

            Besides the amendments in the legal regulative what is also significant is the conversion of all the citizen’s consciousness. A higher level of consciousness has been reached, where the handicapped are not regarded as a marginal group of the society, but just the reverse, they are regarded as citizens with equal rights, having the right to be the integrative part of society. Soon all the forms of discrimination and marginalization will be overcome.

            The steps that follow for the lobby group for the rights of people with handicap in the parliament are the systematic acts, mechanisms for implementation and protection, and of great importance is the forming of the National Council which will have the strategy to help the handicapped on a national level, as well as forming of a Fund on a national level which will be on disposal for the people with special needs.

            The parliamentarians have also promised to the people with special needs that they will have the opportunity to enter into the highest legislative house with wheelchairs during the first celebration of the day of the Macedonian parliament, in May 2005. The promise is that the ramp that was supposed to be built years ago will be built finally.