by Rajeeb Man Tamrakar

KATHMANDU, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Physically disabled persons in Nepal have expressed dissatisfaction over current political deadlock in the country while marking the International Day of Disabled 2007 on Monday.

Various programs were organized throughout Nepal to celebrate the 16th International Disabled Day 2007 with the theme of Decent Work for People With Disabilities.

However, the disabled persons in Nepal are yet to be convinced if they are going to get decent work opportunity at the time when the country is going through a total mess due to disagreement among political parties.

"We expected representation from our community in the upcoming Constituent Assembly (CA) elections, but it seems like the political leaders have made up their mind to stick on with the interim parliament and keep on postponing the elections," said Chhaya Shrestha, one of the participants of the rally organized to mark the day told Xinhua.

Lamenting over current coalition government's apathy towards disabled persons, Chhaya criticized the government for failing to offer them any opportunity after democracy was restored in the country.

"We hoped to see physically disabled persons representing us in CA elections but the current political deadlock has put us into doubt if the election is ever going to take place or not," Chhaya added.

"The politicians only limit proportional representation and inclusive democracy in their speech," she added.

Similarly, there are thousands of people, who became physically disabled after losing their limbs and body parts during a decade long insurgency, still languishing for government's attention.

According to Association for Injured and Disabled Combatant of the People's War, a sister organization of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M) expressed disappointment over government's indifference towards the country's disabled people.

According to the association's data, some 2,000 CPN-M combatants who were disabled during the decade long people's conflict are not getting enough attention from the government.

Central member of the association Chitra Bahadur Gharti, who lost his right hand during the conflict, told Xinhua that some of the party cadres who lost their limbs and body parts during the conflict are currently languishing in seven different United Nations cantonments while those who can still provide assistance are still deployed in the field to carry out various party works.

"We feel that the welfare of disabled persons is possible only through the restructuring of the state," said Gharti, adding that the main objective of the party would be to provide health, education and employment to the disabled persons.

He added that the CPN-M is providing skill oriented training to the disabled cadres at the cantonments.

Meanwhile, speaking at a program organized to mark the day, Speaker Subash Nembang stressed the need for Nepal to be a party to the United Nations (UN) Convention on Disability by ratifying it.

Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal (OHCHR- Nepal) Chief Richard Bennet also called on Nepali government to promptly ratify the convention.

He said so far 118 nations have ratified the convention and requested 13 countries including Nepal to ratify it.

Bennett noted, the majority of people with disabilities live in conditions of poverty, adding that "Access to decent work is the key to breaking that poverty trap, while the self sufficiency that work with fair pay and conditions brings enhances the dignity of the worker and contributes to the entire society and economy."

According to a press release issued by the International Labor Organization (ILO), of an estimated 650 million disabled people in the world, approximately 470 million are of working age. "There is a strong link between disability and poverty," the ILO report says.