Present At The PETKI National Working Meeting, Ganjar Pranowo Emphasized The Importance Of The Community Of Persons With Disabilities

Ganjar Pranowo opened the PETKI DPP National Working Meeting at BPM DIKJUR, Brotojoyo Street, Semarang City, Saturday, January 14. (photo: special)

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo emphasized the importance of a community or community organization that takes serious attention to persons with disabilities. Including the Indonesian Christian Blind Association (PETKI) so that programs to provide access and independence from the government can be accelerated.

"We already have a regional regulation, we have a governor's regulation for friends with disabilities. So PETKI friends, especially those in Central Java, can take advantage of that. Earlier I offered what their problem was, then how can we train them, given a lot of access so that they can be independent," said Ganjar after opening the National Working Meeting of the DPP PETKI at BPM DIKJUR, Jalan Brotojoyo, Semarang City, Saturday, January 14.

According to Ganjar, the existence of PETKI can be a liaison as well as a space for visually impaired people to get a lot of physical activity and skills. Even though PETKI is an organization with a religious background, the activities given to PETKI members are not just religious matters.

"Hopefully those from the visually impaired group will be more helped because of the many activities or skills that can make them more independent. Earlier, the activities were not only religious from Christian blind friends but also made skills in nature, life skills, so that these independences could be encouraged," he said.

The synergy between government policies and PETKI activities, of course, opens up more opportunities for people with disabilities to get training and encouragement. Especially related to skills that provide provision of independence.

For this reason, Ganjar asked PETKI to help collect data on people with disabilities.

"We have told the village head for example, how many people with disabilities in your village and they can record no, which ones are blind, which ones are deaf, and have other special needs," said Ganjar.

The existence of valid data is important in an effort to accelerate the provision of training and access to persons with disabilities. The training will be provided programmally until persons with disabilities declare themselves ready to be independent.

"This is important to record, if PETKI can then help, of course this will accelerate us in providing training, independence, support to them until they declare themselves, yes I am ready to be independent," he said.

Secretary General of the DPP PETKI, Yakobus Tri Bagio, said the National Working Meeting was attended by representatives of the PETKI DPD from various regions in Indonesia. Currently, there are 805,000 blind people registered as members of PETKI.

"PETKI as a national level social organization and gets a special task to provide assistance to the visually impaired. Our activities are not only a spiritual side but also a social, economic and family side. We are committed to supporting the government in providing independence to the visually impaired," he said when giving a speech.