IPOH: The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) is the ideal platform for the country to prepare for its ageing population by 2030.
AFPPD president Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah said the forum would allow member countries to share ideas and experience on legal intervention to face ageing issues.
He said the forum, which will take place on Oct 11 in Kuala Lumpur, will also raise evidence-based policy dialogue and propose concrete suggestions for policy and legal interventions.
“As our lifespan are now longer, the government must do the preparation, in terms of funding and improving health care system,” he added.
Husni said 30 parliamentarians from 13 Asian countries, including Indonesia, Singapore, Japan and China, will join the forum titled 'The Policy Dialogue of Asian Parliamentarians and Experts on Ageing'.
The Employees Provident Fund (EPF), he said, has projected that senior citizens would need at least RM200,000 in savings to live comfortably after retirement.
“However, about 78 per cent of Malaysians aged 54 years old have savings less than that.
“Therefore, the forum would be the best platform for the participants to discuss on appropriate measures that the government should take to help them to survive,” he said.
The two-day forum is in collaboration with the Asian Population and Development Association (APDA) Japan, United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) and International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF).