Parliamentarians, Experts Prepare Report To Help Aging Population

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- With Malaysians living longer, parliamentarians are preparing a report with proposals on how to meet their needs after retirement. The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development Malaysia said the report would be submitted to the government to draw up strategies to cater to the ageing population up to 2030. Its president, Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah said: "The life expectancy has increased. People are living longer and need more financing and health services to lead a good life." Senior citizens would need at least US$47,872 (RM200,000) in savings in the Employees Provident Fund to live comfortably after retirement, he told reporters after opening a 'Policy Dialogue of Asian Parliamentarians and Experts on Aging' here Tuesday. "About 78 per cent of Malaysians aged 54 and above have savings less than that," he said. Earlier in his speech, Ahmad Husni said the two-day meeting which brought together parliamentarians and experts on aging from different countries, would cover demographic transition and social participation and social security systems for aging, among others. It would also discuss the development of a culture of life-long learning, he said. "Looking forward, the older persons of the future will be more educated than their predecessors, with better living standards and quality of life," he added. Thus, Ahmad Husni said, the policies and programmes addressing the needs of the younger age group had significant impact when they reached old age. Thirty parliamentarians and experts from 13 countries, including China, Japan, Indonesia and Singapore are attending the forum organised in collaboration with the Asian Population and Development Association Japan, United Nations Population Fund and International Planned Parenthood Federation. --BERNAMA