As an advocate of disability issues, the Disabled People's Association initiated in 2005 the appeal for the full waiver of the foreign domestic worker (FDW) levy. With other disability organisations, we pushed for this measure essentially to help ease the heavy financial burden among people with disabilities, especially those with severe ones.

As illustrated by the cases of Mr Khew See Min and Madam Rosidah Basri, people with disabilities or families with disabled family members incur far more medical, transport and living expenses. Adding to this plight is the scarcity of employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

We appealed to the Ministry of Manpower then for a full waiver of the levy out of social and humanitarian considerations, in line with the Government's emphasis on Singapore becoming a more caring society.

We deemed the full (not partial) waiver of the levy necessary to help Singapore become a more inclusive society.

This would potentially be a win-win situation because allowing foreign maids to help care for the disabled enables the disabled person's family member who is the caregiver to rejoin the workforce.

It is a necessity for many families to rejoin the workforce because doing so permits them to earn some income to defray the higher expenses arising from the disability.

The disabled individual will also be greatly encouraged to explore (self) employment opportunities and contribute to society as well. Hence, instead of being a liability to society, disabled individuals could be an enormous asset in not just earning an income and employing others but, far more than that, by inspiring their able-bodied fellow citizens to truly persevere.

So when the Government announced last year the reduction of the FDW levy and the extension of its concession to people with disabilities or people with disabled family members, we felt very privileged and grateful that our voices have been heard. These changes signified a positive step for us towards a more inclusive and caring society.

In light, however, of this recent news regarding the 'very real need' of the foreign maid levy rebate, we believe we again see the more urgent need for the full waiver of the levy.

Leo Chen Ian
President
Disabled People's Association