KUCHING: Two more Senior Citizens Activity Centres (PAWEs) will be set up in Sarawak this year. One will be in Petra Jaya and the other one in Sibuti.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Dr Wan Ismail yesterday revealed the good news to a big crowd at the state level “Program Santuni Rakyat” at Mydin Mall in Petra Jaya here.
She said the two additional centres would bring up the total number of such centres in the state to 13.
“Sarawak has the most PAWEs compared to the other states,” she pointed out, adding that the federal government had approved an additional allocation for the setting up of two new centres.
Dr Wan Azizah said through the third Rolling Plan under the 11th Malaysia Plan, the Department of Social Welfare had been allocated RM5 million to set up 47 new PAWEs in the country.
“By the end of this year, the total number of PAWEs will increase to 135.
“In addition, the government has provided RM2.9 million administrative and activity allocations to 88 PAWEs throughout the country to ensure their smooth operation,” she said.
Dr Wan Azizah, who is also the Women, Family and Community Development Minister, said so far, 38,627 senior citizens had benefited from the programmes and activities implemented at the PAWEs.
“Under the 2019 Budget, the federal government has allocated a total of RM93.4 million in 2018 and RM82.9 million in 2019 to the Social Welfare Department of Sarawak to assist senior citizens through the Senior Citizens Aid (BOT), and a total of 22,000 recipients have benefited from the aid,” she said.
She pointed out the establishment of the PAWEs was in line with the government’s desire to encourage senior citizens to remain active so that they were not affected by the “empty nest” syndrome.
“And that is why government will continue its efforts to increase the number of PAWEs,” she said.
As responsible citizens, Malaysians, she added, must respect the elders and provide them with enough care and love.
Earlier on, a mock cheque for the RM566,630 grant for the state’s PAWEs was presented to the Department of Social Welfare Sarawak.
Present were the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry head secretary Datuk Dr Rose Lena Lazemi, special advisor (Sarawak affairs) in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office Datuk Seri Hafsah Harun, Sarawak Federal Secretary Mohd Shahabuddin Omar and state Welfare, Community Well-Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.
