Activist slams decision to stop building govt-run welfare homes

PETALING JAYA: Human Rights activist, James Nayagam has described the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry's decision to stop building government-run welfare homes as "terrible".
He told theSun the ministry's decision could only bring adverse effects to the society especially to those with low income.
"The government must take into account that there are many people who are unable to afford to take care of their parents.
"This could be due to their status as a single person or even their meagre income that they earn. The going rate for private nursing homes are between RM2,600 to RM3,000 a month.
"How many people can afford those rates?," the former Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) commissioner said.
While he understands the nature of the move, Nayagam stressed that it would only create more cases of abandoned or ill-treated elderly people at the homes of their children.
"Just because of the irresponsible act of some children who abandon their parents at welfare homes, the whole society should not be punished.
"Some segments of society do have children who are responsible but unable to afford the necessary care for their parents.
"The government should take into consideration such circumstances before coming into a decision. Besides it is the government's duty to safeguard the welfare of senior citizens ," he added.
Meanwhile DAP MP Teresa Kok also expressed outrage over the decision, saying that the government's decision could potentially burden NGO-operated welfare homes.
"It is true that many irresponsible children are dumping their parents instead of caring for them.
"Perhaps it is time for us to have laws to prevent this or ensure that parents will be looked after by their children," she said, noting however that complications may exist in cases where parents had mistreated or abandoned their children when they were younger.
Stressing that the issue of "dumping" will not be solved by stopping the building of welfare homes, Kok called on the government to come up with other measures instead to address the issue.
"The ministry can look into creating sustainable retirement homes under a public-private initiative which could be jointly developed and run by both sectors.
"As such tax exemptions could be given to donors of such retirement homes," she added.
Their response came after Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rohani Abdul Karim announced on Sunday that the government did not plan to build any new homes to add to the nine already in existence.
The move, she said was due to the more people dumping their aged parents and relatives at government welfare homes instead of caring for them themselves.
She also said the government plans to convert one of the homes into a respite centre where it would cost people RM50 per day for meals and services offered to their parents.