KUALA LUMPUR – A blueprint and committee on the homeless will be established to set the policy direction on the issue, as currently the operations involving the group and its handling in the country draw from no specific source of authority and legislation.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the matter was agreed to at the first meeting of the Special Cabinet Committee for Protecting Vulnerable Groups, which was chaired by him and also attended by ministers and deputy ministers as well as the senior officials of the ministries and departments involved in Putrajaya today.
Apart from that, he said the meeting also agreed with the proposal of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to increase the registration of existing care centres, step up enforcement on care centres, and review the Care Centres Act 1983 as well as Care Centres Regulations 1994.
“Meanwhile, the Private Aged Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 2018 will be enforced in preparation for the projection that Malaysia will reach the ageing nation status by 2030 as well as supporting the development of the ageing health care industry at private care centres.
“To improve the efficiency of care centre management, (the women ministry) also implemented the Alternative Service Delivery Pilot Project at a senior citizen care centre since November 21 last year,” he said in a statement here today.
According to the prime minister, the new approach involved strategic cooperation via the shared expertise of non-governmental organisations (NGO) experienced in care for the elderly to ensure care centres are managed effectively.
Ismail Sabri said the government through the National Tahfiz Education Policy (DPTN) will empower tahfiz education and standardisation of tahfiz management nationwide through five main thrusts namely legislation, tahfiz model, curriculum meeting mainstream education, integrity in governance, and streamlining of tahfiz recognition.
He said since DPTN was introduced in 2016, the total number of registered tahfiz centres has increased from 571 to 1,208 this year.
He also called on the federal and state governments to jointly review land status to facilitate care centres and tahfiz centres to obtain operational approval for the success of the Keluarga Malaysia agenda and to ensure the wellbeing of the community, especially vulnerable groups.
“For example, the amending of the status of agricultural land to commercial land to enable these centres to operate legally,” he said.
On the Special Cabinet Committee for Protecting Vulnerable Groups, Ismail Sabri said it is a special platform to comprehensively address the issue relating to care centres for the vulnerable groups in the country including childcare centres, people with disabilities, senior citizens as well as tahfiz centres.
He said that now the definition of vulnerable groups has been expanded to 12 groups, including the homeless, stateless individuals, refugees, patients with infectious diseases, destitute people, and so on.
According to the prime minister, the setting up of the committee is aimed at drafting a holistic approach to ensure their welfare and well-being against manipulation, neglect as well as persecution, adding that the committee’s membership would be extended to relevant NGOs.
“The government has also taken a joint approach with various parties to handle the issue of homelessness to help the group to enjoy a more prosperous life.
“Among the existing programmes available under the Federal Territories Ministry are Homeless Transit Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Homeless Guidance Home and Anjung Kelana Transformation Centre,” he said. – Bernama, August 3, 2022
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