Press Statement By Kelvin Yii:
In Kuching, most of the residents are senior citizens. Sarawak itself is facing an ageing issue with 16% of the population expected to be over 60-year-old by 2030.
Given the lack of job opportunities in Sarawak, the younger generation had to seek better economic opportunities in West Malaysia, Singapore or even as far as Australia and the UK.
While these Sarawakians work tirelessly each day to support their families, they are faced with the constant worry about their ageing parents. If their parents fall sick, they have to either sacrifice their promising careers and return home, or spend a considerable amount of money to hire professional private caregivers.
Care challenges are not only confined to the elderly, it affects other segments of our society too. Those with family members who are facing disabilities or long-term illnesses would have to juggle around the clock trying to balance between caregiving and earning a living. Without access to affordable childcare, a family is denied an additional income earner as a parent needs to stay home to take care of the kids.
Sadly, more often than not, women are the ones who have to sacrifice and take on these unpaid but noble care work. Therefore, addressing this issue would not only benefit care recipients but also empower the majority of women who undertake these roles to pursue their own economic opportunities. Beyond that, investing in the caregiving segment will also create jobs for locals in the state and other spillover benefits to society.
In our broader agenda to build Sarawakians, this fits nicely with our focus on empowering livelihoods while building the much needed care and support system for the elderly, women, and children.
With more resources coming into Sarawak and even more devolution of powers to the state in the future, we must start investing more in human development, particularly care services. For the benefit of the people, I will work hard to champion the following measures if I am given the opportunity to represent the voters of Batu Kawah:
● Promote “in-home care” services – Call for the setting up of a startup or seed fund to encourage the establishment of more home-based care services as alternatives to care homes. Having more service providers in the market would ensure a more competitive rate so that it is within the reach of those who need it. Areas of services can range across care for the elderly, children or the disabled.
● Preparing the care workforce – Introduce an appropriate regulatory framework to ensure “in-home” caregivers receive necessary training before they join the service. This also sets a minimum standard of service to ensure the peace of mind for care recipients and their families.
● Childcare subsidies – Monthly childcare cash benefit for each poor and middle income family to ensure they can afford to send their children to registered childcare centres. Making childcare services accessible to more families frees up both parents to actively participate in economic activities and earn a living.
It is about time we give more emphasis towards our care support system. Life often has its challenges and is usually unpredictable. That is why, as a society, we must ensure that we build the necessary building blocks to protect the most vulnerable segment of our population.
Let’s move ahead and join me in Building Sarawakians.
