Around 60% of Kuala Lumpur’s homeless are aged 60 and above, signalling a breakdown in family support as Malaysia ages.
MALAYSIA is becoming a high-income nation, with new highways, digital hubs and billions in foreign investment.
Yet, as we walk through Kuala Lumpur, we see elderly men and women curled up on cardboard along footpaths, under bridges, in five-foot ways and at bus stops. Queues at soup kitchens continue to grow as homeless senior citizens struggle to find food to eat.
Around 60% of homeless people in Kuala Lumpur are aged 60 and above. This is a stark sign that the traditional family support system is under strain. Many adult children are grappling with rising living costs and relocating for work. They often lack the financial means, time or space to care for their ageing parents.
Malaysia is also rapidly becoming an ageing nation. By 2040, nearly one in four Malaysians will be a senior citizen. If we fail to build a stronger social support system now, more elderly people will fall into poverty and end up on the streets. These are the people who helped build this country. We cannot allow them to spend their final years hungry, homeless and alone.
Many homeless senior citizens are fathers who worked in factories, mothers who raised families and grandparents who paid taxes, built businesses, cleaned offices and drove taxis. Today, some own little more than the clothes on their backs.
As Asians, caring for our families and respecting our elders are deeply rooted cultural values. If that is the case, why are so many elderly Malaysians being abandoned?
It is time for the government to take proactive steps to eradicate poverty among the elderly by ensuring that homeless seniors have access to shelter, food and basic necessities. This is every nation’s responsibility.
One promising initiative would be a nationwide “No Senior Sleeps Hungry” campaign. Every town, city and government-funded community centre should provide meals to any elderly person who walks in – without requiring identity checks or lengthy paperwork.
We should also expand the availability of permanent shelters equipped with beds, medical care and counselling services.
Some may ask whether we can afford such measures. The real question is whether we can afford not to.
We spend billions on mega-projects. Surely, we can allocate sufficient resources to feed and shelter our elderly. A nation’s true wealth is not measured by its GDP alone but also by how it treats those who no longer have anything left to give except the legacy of a lifetime spent building that nation.
This is not a political issue, nor is it about race or religion. As Malaysia’s population ages, this challenge will only become more severe.
If we ignore it today, we will not only be failing as a nation but also failing a fundamental test of our humanity.
K.T. Maran
Seremban
The Sun Malaysia
