PETALING JAYA: Isaiah Jacob is the man who got the whole Senate, including the senate president, to stand on one leg for a minute last month in solidarity with him and in support of the disabled.
“After that, some of the senators came looking for me and told me I was so daring to ask the president to stand up, but he agreed to it. So he also asked everyone to stand up,” said Isaiah.
The moment was not just a symbolic one, but a starting point to raise awareness and change misconceptions about what disabled people can do.
Being disabled himself – he was born with congenital hip dislocation – did not stop Isaiah from getting involved in politics, from as early as secondary school days when he frequently accompanied his uncle, the late V David of DAP, during election campaigns.
“There are a lot of things that are not on the right track, so I got involved in demonstrations, like (those organised by) Bersih, among other things,” he said, referring to the electoral reform group’s rallies.
A long-time PKR member, Isaiah was also instrumental in the formation of the party’s bureau for persons with disabilities.
“A lot of people came up to me and asked why we needed this bureau. They said there are many NGOs around, so why not just get them involved? But for me, it’s time for the disabled to go into the political field and fight for their own rights,” he said.
He said the bureau was able to visit seven states and assist some families with disabled members who are in need.
He described how a family in Banting with elderly parents and three disabled children received little attention and assistance until his visit in December last year.
“The eldest daughter has a diploma in business administration. She’s in a wheelchair, and she asked me to get her a laptop computer so that she can conduct tuition classes, so I bought her a laptop,” he said.
Isaiah, 57, was appointed a senator in March. He vowed to continue pushing for the establishment of a much-needed government department to cater to persons with disabilities.
“If the government is not going to endorse this department, I will go all out and challenge them,” he said.