Government says it is trying to clean up the social welfare lists from persons getting benefits illegally, criminal charges for alleged embezzlement filed against protest leader.
TIRANA, July 24 – A group of organizations representing people with disabilities in Albania have protested what they see as discrimination in a proposed reform the government wants to implement to streamline financial support for the community.
The community with disabilities says the government plan would leave many of them without financial support and powerless, while the government says it is trying to clean up the social welfare lists from persons getting benefits illegally.
The government had nominated one of the senior leaders of the grouping as the deputy minister of welfare, trying to start a new era of involving the community in decision making.
However, other leaders of the community have denounced a law proposed by the ministry.
“All persons with disabilities will protest against this law, because this law is not the law of inclusion, but it is a law of exclusion for persons with disabilities,” Mybere Prizreni of the Paraplegic Association told the local media.
President of the Association of the Blind, Sinan Tafaj went further to demand the resignation of Welfare Minister Erion Veliaj, who he accused of violating the rights already achieved by people with disabilities by allowing others to represent them.
“The minister has fallen morally and minister should resign,” Tafaj said, adding the law gives too much power to designated caregivers and takes it away from the disabled.
However, Minister Veliaj responded that he was filing criminal charges against Tafaj on suspicion of embezzlement.
“Sinan Tafaj is accused of disappearance of 1.2 million dollars,” Veliaj said.
Protests were immediately followed by a personal attack campaign on Tafaj by government-friendly media outlets.
The media outlets said Tafaj had abused some $1.14 million allocated to his organization to build a center for young blind people. They said no audit had been conducted and no one could say where that money had gone.
The government says that they are cleaning the social support list from people who are not disabled or using the name of someone with disabilities to get money from the state. They are also regulating who gets to certify that someone is disabled.
A similar request came from the International Monetary Fund operating in the country, including a statement in the last few days.
