As this unbelievable trail of fraud cases unfolds, the parents of truly disabled persons have so many unanswered questions. Especially carers of the severely disabled children, young and middle-aged.
The insult of able-bodied individuals abusing the system is so deep to these parents, including myself, irrespective of one’s political belief that no minister in charge of disability rights can fathom, not unless that minister has truly experienced caring for a disabled person. No wonder there is a deep silence.
Is that why we got told off to go and read a book? Even that hasty online jab was totally out of place during the heat wave crisis and defeating for a parent of a disabled child who is utterly helpless without access to a lift, hoist or basic equipment required for the wellbeing of their dependents left stranded by the power cut. Surely the minister was already aware of the systemic abuse when she told us to eat cake.
Parents who fill out forms and are accountable every step of the way for the services availed of and who might not be eligible for large sums of welfare because of their salaried jobs are the ones who need to be heard. Should we trust the system? Why am I paying taxes and getting not even close to 450 every three months for my child’s real disability?
Why are there people enriching themselves through the system and yet there are basic respite services lacking especially in the south? Why do I have to avail myself of the services in Mosta and Mtarfa when I live in Zejtun and have to drive a long way, in traffic, and back again, because of short-sighted planning? So if there is over two million euros in money going round, why wasn’t there enough to invest in our kids? Why do parents have to go through the system to get reimbursed for a quarter of the price of a necessary item such as a wheelchair accessory?
It’s the politics of humiliation.
Remember the Labour 2022 electoral promise “Subsidy for carers looking after people with severe disability to shoot up to €4,750 a year by 2023, up from €500”? That’s barely €365 every 4 weeks and yet the fake severely disabled were being paid more all this time, since at least 2020.
Why should parents believe the electoral promises on disability made by the party in government? Rewind the tapes and look at them again, knowing fully well that the same people doing the talking were looking at disability as a political commodity and a joke. While the Opposition was speaking of a one-stop shop for parents who can plan for their children long term, even after the parents pass on, Labour stealthily removed the administration of the blue badge from CRPD and passed it on to Sapport. Why? Is this related? Sapport does not have an enforcement branch whereas CRPD has one. Why was the system changed?
So patient zero can be traced back to the Third District. Żejtun, possibly. Why isn’t there enough coverage of the prosecution of cases? Is this deliberate? Again, where’s the police’s much needed public relations structure? The public has the right to know. Is it true that there are four magistrates splitting the case load between themselves? And which tier is being prosecuted – the small fish in the pond? The runners? Any chance of hearing about the big fish swimming in the jail pond? What kind of punishment is being meted out apart from reimbursement of the illicit gains?
The absence of public relations, which I have written about on different occasions, now makes sense: since there’s no true accountability, why invest in communicating with the public? Ministers are relying on the usual minions doing the talking while sticking to their high horses. Who cares about restoring dignity to the truly disabled?
‘Sinjuri żgħar’: think about what you can do with an extra €450 a month. You can take out a car loan and be easily covered, with money left in your pocket. Just pretend you have at least four seizures a month.
The biology of seizures, and the resilience needed to live through it, is a lot of work. It requires stamina to keep the necessary stock of Valium at home to stop the pain in the brain, physically handling the person during the fit while avoiding further harm, being careful to time it because if it exceeds the crucial three minutes the patient has to be rushed to hospital. To have that mocked by government in such a spectacular way is unforgiveable.
Margaret Mead once said that a healed human femur was a first sign of civilization. It meant that people cared for each other. So where does mocking the disabled place us?