KUALA LUMPUR: The Woman, Family and Community Development Ministry is pushing to present the Senior Citizen Bill at the next Parliament meeting, says Minister Daruk Seri Nancy Shukri.
She said that Malaysia needs the Bill badly. However, she said that Bill keeps being delayed as stakeholders insist their views be heard first.
She added that the ministry is all set to present it in Parliament within six months.
She said this after officiating the seminar and stakeholder consultation titled “Malaysian Care Ecosystem - Assuring the Quality of Caregivers” at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Thursday (May 21).
The event was jointly organised by the National Council of Women’s Organisations Malaysia (NCWO) and the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya.
“The consultation has never ended because there are always more views to be heard. When we were about to send it to the Attorney-General (AG) for approval, there were still more inputs.
“It's a good sign - meaning that the people are very, very caring and they want us to really take into account a lot of things for the sake of the senior citizens.
“However, we need it very badly. Actually, we have been needing it for a long time. And so, inshallah, it will be there. I have given my ministry six months to do it.
“The draft is already there. We are going to resubmit it.
“It's a matter of procedure with the other ministry as well. We have to send it to the AG again and let them provide us with guidance and input on what we need to improve,” said Nancy.
The Minister also said that the Bill is important to stop the practice of abandoning elderly parents by irresponsible children.
“The issue of abandoning elderly parents by children is addressed in the Senior Citizens Bill, too.
“We need more professional training for people to take care of the elderly - and that includes my welfare department officers - to train them to be professionals in caring for the elderly,” said Nancy.
She said that the government is also studying the various types of assistance which can be provided to private homes and facilities which care for the elderly.
“With regard to elderly people sent to private homes, we have been discussing and trying to support them, but there will be some technical aspects. We are putting our proposal to the Finance Ministry. It looks quite optimistic, but it needs to be studied, as we cannot just provide assistance to everyone at the same rate. We are also there to assist those who are sending their parents to private homes, and for the elderly,” said Nancy.
Malaysia is projected to become an aged society by 2048, when the proportion of its population aged 65 and above will exceed 14%.
In response to this, there have also been plans to expedite the much-anticipated Senior Citizens Bill, with warnings that the pace of ageing could outpace the country’s preparedness.
Lawmakers have also proposed establishing a dedicated ministry to oversee senior citizens and address their challenges.
