Workshop: «Persons with disabilities and political participation», by the Youth Forum for Tolerance

Gaza, 27/5/2013 – The Youth Forum for Tolerance at the Pal-Think for Strategic Studies institution organised a workshop titled “Persons with disability and political participation”, in the hall of the al-Quds International hotel on the Gaza sea shore, with the attendance of the secretary-general of the Legislative Council Mr Nafez al-Madhoun, Mr Raed al-Samouni, head of the electoral-procedures section – the regional office, and the youth activist Ibrahim Irheim, alongside a group of rights advocates and youth activists.

The workshop was opened by Mr Omar Shaban, praising the attendees for their interest and affirming the role of the youth with disabilities and the necessity of activating their role in society and giving them room to participate in the Palestinian political system, since they represent an important class in Palestinian society that cannot be dispensed with, nor its role marginalised in any form whatsoever.

Then came the talk of Mr Nafez al-Madhoun, supporting and endorsing the foregoing, adding by pointing out that the Palestinian Basic Law has guaranteed such rights, and that there is no clause or legislation in the law that prevents them from such participation or discriminates in one form or another against them — going on to say that what this category lacks is organising itself in a pressing entity that can strive to wrest its rights and bring about the hoped-for change.

He also pointed to some of the obstacles that prevent their better political participation, such as society's culture, the rigidity of the laws and legislation and their obsolescence, and the absence of the political decision in this regard.

He proposed solutions that would change this reality, such as conducting reviews of the previous laws, especially the laws concerning the elections, in order to designate a quota of their own and place representatives of theirs at the head of the electoral lists in the event of the holding of any future elections, whether parliamentary or local councils.

This in addition to focusing on raising the public's awareness of this category's issues and working on changing society's view of them — pointing out that such a change needs much effort and continuous, diligent work by all the concerned bodies and institutions.

From his side, Mr Raed al-Samouni spoke of the role of the Central Elections Commission and its being an executive body whose business is not the issuing of laws or the amending of the laws currently prevailing; all it can do is ease these categories' access to the polling centres and enable them to exercise their role in political participation and voting,

denying the existence of any obstacle preventing any of them from standing in the elections. He also reviewed some statistics concerning the previous elections.

The word of the persons with special needs came on the tongue of the youth activist Ibrahim Irheim, who pointed to the suffering of the category he represents and its sacrifices, and its being a category that participated in all the forms of struggle and suffering; accordingly it is inconceivable that society continue marginalising them from political life — commenting that Palestinian society must head toward transforming into the model of the inclusive society, in which the individual with disability is equal to all the other individuals without discrimination.

Irheim pointed out that it is not this category's fault that society looks at them with this look, but rather it is society's problem; accordingly society and the government alike are asked to change their view and their manner of dealing with this category.

In the conclusion all affirmed that persons with disability represent an important stratum in society whom it is not right, in any form whatsoever, to prevent from exercising their rights as citizens equal in rights and duties with others. The attendees also praised the role of Pal-Think and the Youth Forum for Tolerance and thanked it for its initiative in holding such a meeting.