«Electoral Issues», episode five: persons with disabilities and the right to political participation

Continuing its efforts to strengthen society members' awareness of electoral issues and topics and encourage them to take part in any coming electoral process, Pal-Think for Strategic Studies carried out the fifth radio episode of the “Electoral Issues” programme, titled “Persons with disability and the right to political participation”, within the project “Toward a society more aware of its electoral rights”, implemented by Pal-Think in cooperation with the Central Elections Commission within the project “Partnership with civil-society institutions 2021 / phase two”, funded by the European Union

The meeting's guest, Ibrahim Qassem, activist in the issues of persons with disability, said there are 130 thousand persons of visual, motor, hearing, mental, and psychological disability in Palestine.

He affirmed that the Palestinian legislator enacted law number 4 of 1999 to protect the rights of those with disability, yet the authorities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip do not apply it fully.

He stressed that there are many people with disability who are thinkers and intellectuals holding higher degrees, qualified to contest the elections and represent the Palestinian people, and that among them are those who contributed directly and noticeably to serving society's issues — pointing out that the Elections Commission trained some 3 thousand persons with disability in 2015 in taking part in the elections.

Qassem added: “We as people with disability support the electoral quota and need it, for it supports the fragile and marginalised groups.

He mentioned that some electoral lists entered names of people with disability in the first ranks of their lists, while other lists entered some persons with disability in late positions of their lists to appear supportive of our rights”.

He noted that social-media platforms have helped them demand their rights, being unrepresented in political life.

He concluded, saying: “I was created in this world free, like any human being who suffers no disability. We are partners in the homeland and in change, and a burden on no one”.