by Theleaders | September 5, 2026 1:07 pm
IPOH, Sept 5 — The Perak state government hopes Budget 2027 will give special attention to the welfare of senior citizens in rural areas, covering housing, basic amenities, mobility as well as digital access.
State Rural Development, Plantation, Agriculture and Food Industry Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Zolkafly Harun said the attention was important with the increasing elderly population in the state, as well as the migration of young people to urban areas, which resulted in some senior citizens in rural areas, especially those living alone, to face limited access to support facilities.
“The situation is more challenging for senior citizens who live alone or still reside in dilapidated houses and have inadequate basic amenities.
“Based on the information received, residents aged 65 and above in Perak accounted for about 10.2 per cent or approximately 267,600 people in 2025,” he told Bernama.
He also drew attention to housing, stressing that serious attention was needed as there were still low-income (B40) groups in rural areas living in houses that were too dilapidated and no longer economically viable to repair.
“Hence, Perak hopes Budget 2027 can give priority to the construction of new houses and repairs of dilapidated houses, particularly through the People’s Prosperity Housing Programme (PPRS).
“Priority should be given to the rural B40 group living in houses that are too dilapidated and no longer economically viable to repair,” Mohd Zolkafly said.
The Lintang assemblyman also highlighted the importance of creating a rural economic ecosystem to open up more employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, particularly for youths.
He said rural development should not focus solely on providing basic amenities, but should also be supported by an economic ecosystem capable of offering sustainable employment opportunities and sources of income to address the migration of young people to urban areas.
“The main challenge is the migration of youths. We cannot blame them because everyone is seeking better opportunities in life, so our responsibility is to bring those economic opportunities to rural areas,” he said.
In addition, Mohd Zolkafly said strong support from the Federal Government was needed in local economic development, agro-entrepreneurship, micro-businesses, food processing industries as well as the digital economy.
Such efforts should be directed at ensuring community entrepreneurs, particularly rural youths, have skills that match industry needs, including the agri-food sector, which is increasingly dependent on technology, mechanisation and automation.
He also suggested strengthening human capital through the Skills and Career Training Programme, which offers the Malaysian Skills Certificate.
“The focus is particularly on producing skilled human capital in the agri-food, mechanisation, automation and agricultural technology sectors,” he said.
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