Mohamad Razi (front, centre) joins Sarawak Welfare Department director Noriah Ahmad, on his left, and others in a group photo with the workshop participants.
KUCHING (Feb 14): A proposal has been made by Assistant Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Development II Mohamad Razi Sitam to set up more senior citizen activities centres (PAWEs) at district level.
According to him, such a move would better-facilitate all efforts to reach out to the elderly group in the state.
It is stated that there are currently 13 PAWEs in Sarawak, and there are plans to increase the number to 45, in view of the state’s population of senior citizens having reached 345,000.
Adding on, Mohamad Razi believed in encouraging the senior citizens to adopt lifelong learning so as to continue making meaningful contributions to society.
“Malaysia will be an ageing nation by Year 2030; it is within this view that the Sarawak Welfare Department is running this workshop as a preparation to provide the infrastructure and facilities to look after the welfare of senior citizens in the state,” he said in his speech prior to officiating at Sarawak Senior Citizens Action Plan Workshop in a hotel here yesterday.
Mohamad Razi, who represented the minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah at the event, listed out many short-term courses, including those offered by the ministry and community colleges, meant to help and support the senior citizens in enhancing their knowledge and in their pursuit of a more active lifestyle.
On the two-day workshop, he said the key objective was to gather input from various agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) pertaining to programmes aimed at nurturing a caring society and enhancing the service delivery to the senior citizens.
“A total of 216 suggestions were also reached during the workshop,” he added.
The assistant minister also mentioned two institutions in Sarawak under the purview of the Welfare department: Rumah Seri Kenangan Kuching and Rumah Seri Kenangan Sibu, which house 60 and 25 senior citizens, respectively.