The Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs Minister Dr. Soccoh Kabia has referred to Hon. Julius Nye Cuffie as mischievous.
Dr. Soccoh Kabia was reacting to allegations raised by Hon. Cuffie about the proposed disability bill where he stated that what the Ministry did to the bill was to completely water down the original.
Dr. Kabia said his Ministry has done just a draft and not a final copy of the Disability bill adding that they were supposed to have met yesterday with stakeholders including the disabled unions on the draft disability bill.
He said the key areas raised by the MP that the Commission was transformed into a Council was not so as the bill makes provision for a Commission and not a Council “What happened in the draft was a typographical error” he said.
The Social Welfare Minister also confirmed that the Chairman of the Commission was going to be appointed by the President and that the disabled unions will be fully represented contrary to what the MP misconstrued. “I could not be seen undermining my own efforts as I have tried my level best to reawaken the Conventions on the Rights of Persons with disability which has been ratified by Parliament and this is Government business for which the Ministry should be seen fully taking it to Parliament.
What Hon. Cuffie has done was to totally misrepresent the Ministry” he stated.
By Ishmael Bayoh