THE 41st ANNIVERSARY OF SENIOR CITIZENS PENANG ASSOCIATION
SPEECH BY THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW FOR THE 41st ANNIVERSARY OF SENIOR CITIZENS PENANG ASSOCIATION
2 December 2023
Daily Fish Restaurant, Jalan Logan
YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Haji Mohd. Yusoff Latiff
The Patron of the Senior Citizens Penang Association
Ybhg Puan Sri Datin Seri Suziwati
The wife of YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Haji Mohd. Yusoff Latiff
YB Puan Lim Siew Khim
EXCO for Social Development, Welfare and Non-Islamic Affairs
YBhg Dato’ Seri Tan Gin Soon,
President of the State Chinese Penang Association
Madam Katherine Ong Paik Sun,
President of the Senior Citizens Penang Association
Ladies & Gentlemen
A very good evening to all of you.
I would like to congratulate the Senior Citizens Penang Association for celebrating your 41st Anniversary tonight. This means this association was established way back in 1982 and it is my privilege to be here today in honouring the senior citizens of Penang.
The younger generation may wonder why we honour the elderly in society. This is not just a matter of filial piety or good conduct according to the norms of society.
Having lived much longer, seen and went through much more, senior citizens should be respected for their wisdom, which they have gained through decades of experience, which indeed is often the best teacher. Their opinions matter although sometimes, the young might consider them to be outdated and at times, even irrelevant.
They know first-hand what it's like to live through tragedies and triumphs, times of war and peace, both through personal experience and as a member of society.
The term “seniors” usually conjure up a person who is over the hill, someone who needs discount cards, someone who uses dentures instead of real teeth, someone with white or greying hair with a walking stick in hand. It is indeed true that society today highly values youth but that does not indicate that we should forsake the old. All of us will get there one fine day!
Ladies & Gentlemen,
Ageing is both an opportunity and a challenge. We need to acknowledge the fact that an ageing population is a success, not a hindrance. It is a triumph of humanity therefore we should celebrate ageing and not fear it.
Penang is the second highest state in Malaysia after Perak with an ageing population. Almost 15 percent of Penang's 1.77 million population is 60 or older. The United Nations Population Project predicts that by 2040, Penang will have the highest ageing population in Malaysia. Roughly 26.2 percent of our people will be 60 years old or more.
At the national level, as of the year 2020, 7.1 percent of Malaysia’s population are aged 65 years and above. That means in less than 20 years, Malaysia will be an aged nation with 20 percent of its population aged over 60 years, 15 percent aged over 65 years, and 17 percent aged over 80 years.
We are lucky that Penang has many services to cater to the aging population from nursing homes to volunteer programmes to state government initiatives as the elderly should also be included in the state’s Sustainable Development Goals so that no one is left behind. This year itself, the Penang state government spent more than RM54.2 million for the I-Sejahtera Senior Citizens Appreciation Programme and this amount will only increase even more in 2024.
Furthermore, also in the pipeline is the setting up Active Senior Citizen Centres in each of the five districts in Penang to provide a conducive place for our elderly citizens who are still active to mingle and to spend time fruitfully. In fact, this is one of the pledged promises of Pakatan Harapan in the state election held in August.
Ladies & Gentlemen,
We are all ageing every second of our lives and we want to age well, in safety and with dignity. The speed and scale of ageing today must be responded to. Today, two people reach 60 years of age every second of the day and the state government is well aware that ageing is happening at the fastest rate in the developing world. Hence, the need for basic requirements for living well in later life with regular income as loans are denied on the basis on age.
We need to address the needs of an ageing population and protect their human rights from age discrimination, poverty in old age as well as ensure decent health care and opportunities for jobs and life-long learning. As we get older, our rights do not change because we are no less human and should not become invisible.
I congratulate the Senior Citizens Penang Association that has Madam Katherine Ong, who is in her eighties and still helming this society, ensuring that there are caring programmes to cater to the needs of the senior citizens of Penang.
May your society continue to serve the needs of the elderly by providing them with a place to go to and activities to occupy their time.
Thank you.