Independent social policy researcher Edwin Goh said such a move would only duplicate the functions of existing ministries, waste public funds, and fail to address deeper structural issues.
However, Dr Wong Teck Wee, vice-president of the Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society, said the government should form an independent ministry for senior citizens, as responsibilities for the elderly are currently scattered across multiple ministries.
Describing the idea as “impractical”, Goh said that a senior citizens ministry could end up creating more red tape and burdensome regulations.
“Our focus should be on strategic coordination and collective action, not setting up yet another ministry. A more effective approach would be to establish a national care council as a high-level coordinating body to streamline policies and reduce bureaucracy.
“The National Ageing Blueprint (NAB) should also be strengthened into a comprehensive intergenerational report that charts the country’s long-term direction,” he told FMT.
Wong meanwhile said that ageing was not just about healthcare or welfare, as it also involved pensions, savings, employment opportunities, housing and urban design, public transport, digital inclusion, and long-term care services.
“Right now, these responsibilities are fragmented across various ministries. A central body would reduce overlaps, improve coordination, and ensure more coherent policy implementation,” he said.
Wong added that the women, family, and community development ministry, which currently oversees the welfare of the elderly, struggles to give sufficient attention to the unique and complex challenges of ageing.
“This ministry’s mandate is too broad, covering everything from child protection to gender issues,” he said.
He said a dedicated ministry was necessary to ensure that the NAB is effectively implemented, monitored for progress, and supported with adequate resources.
According to the statistics department, 7% of Malaysia’s population was aged 65 and above in 2020, a figure expected to double to 14% by 2044, which would classify the country as an aged nation.
Several quarters, including MPs, had called for a senior citizens ministry to prepare for the shift, attributed to declining fertility rates and longer life expectancy.
On Tuesday, Bayan Lepas MP Sim Tze Tzin raised the proposal again during ministerial question time in the Dewan Rakyat, citing factors such as marriage and birth trends that are accelerating the country’s demographic transition.
However, finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan, who is currently acting as economy minister, maintained that the welfare of senior citizens remained safeguarded through existing agencies and ministries, even without a dedicated ministry.