She said the bill was now in the formulation stage upon the completion of a study on Oct 1.

“The government is very sensitive to the needs of senior citizens and a study was conducted on the formulation of a bill for senior citizens,” she said during the question-and-answer session.

She was responding to a supplementary question from Senator Fadhlina Sidek who wanted to know whether the government intended to formulate a special law to protect senior citizens.

Meanwhile, at a press conference later, Siti Zailah said with the country moving towards becoming an ageing nation by 2030, the ministry hoped to set up a Senior Citizens Activity Centre (PAWE) in every parliamentary constituency nationwide.

“As of August 2021, a total of 49,675 senior citizens have registered with the 143 existing PAWEs nationwide and this year, the government hoped to set up 10 new PAWEs.

“The government also intends to have a PAWE in every parliamentary constituency and so far only 131 parliamentary constituencies have a PAWE,” she added.

On the Malaysian Family Month celebration to be held this Nov 6 with the hashtag #KeluargaMalaysia and the “Kita Kan Keluarga Malaysia” slogan, she said it would be launched by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

“This celebration is held to encourage the community to prioritise family so that good values and love can be nurtured among the younger generation,” she said.