Justyne Caruana pledges to make 'abandoned' disability sector more inclusive

In an exclusive interview with Illum, newly appointed parliamentary secretary Justyne Caruana pledges to make disability sector more inclusive; says PN’s measures were all down to Labour’s insistence.

Parliamentary Secretary for the disabled and eldelry.
Parliamentary Secretary for the disabled and eldelry.

By Frederick Attard

Barely a month after she was trusted with the stewardship of Malta’s disability sector, newly-appointed parliamentary secretary for the disabled and elderly Justyne Caruana has pledged to facilitate the integration and inclusivity within the “abandoned” disability sector, Sunday newspaper Illum reports.

Gozitan MP Justyne Caruana took over from fellow Gozitan Franco Mercieca, after the ophthalmologist tendered his resignation. Having racked up years of experience within the disability sector, it was not long before she was seen as the favourite to replace Mercieca.

Nevertheless, Caruana insisted that she was positively “surprised” by Joseph Muscat’s decision.

In an exclusive interview with Illum, the parliamentary secretary explains how she intends on facilitating the integration of disabled people in society, and insists that this can  only be done by consulting all stakeholders.

“Furthermore, I intend on making the disability sector more inclusive, as during the years, this sector was abandoned,” Caruana said in a dig at the previous Nationalist governments.

Notwithstanding her criticism, Caruana – who  earlier this year was embroiled in a controversy over the use of an AFM helicopter to get her to the airport on time – was quick to point out that during the final months of its legislature, the previous PN government implemented several measures in the disability sector.

“However, despite the PN’s work, this was all down to the Labour Party’s insistence, who had lobbied for greater inclusion for the disabled,” she argued.

Moreover, the parliamentary secretary pledges, “as opposed to previous governments,” the government will be consulting all stakeholders prior to implementing any measures.

“In order to address the needs of disabled people, it is imperative for the government and the local councils to cooperate. Local councils must ensure that their localities are fully accessible and that disability would not be a stumbling block for people,” she said.

Read the full interview on Illum.