Dr Ng Yen Yen Website

Giving senior citizens quality life

Shanghai has come up with an innovative government-private sector solution to its problem of an ageing society.

SEVENTY-five-year-old Shi Huizhen and her friend had their faces buried in newspapers while others were engaged in a mahjong game on the sixth floor of the Sun Keren old folk’s home in Shanghai.

More than a decade ago, Shi lived with her husband in a small apartment in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province. After he died, the ex-engineer tried to live there alone. Her eldest son is in Shanghai, and another son in Canada.

“It was rather lonely without my husband. Then, I fell sick and was taken care of by a housemaid before I decided to come to Shanghai,” said Shi, who has been living in the home for four years now.

Everything is fine for the 110 residents, from accommodation and food to easy access to hospitals, which are within walking distance of the home.

“I have three meals a day and I am well taken care of. I’m okay here and don’t need my children to take care of me. They have their own families to worry about and to deal with,” said Shi.

She said she has settled down well in the home. Her monthly pension of 1,500 yuan (RM779) pays for her stay there.

Another resident, Xu Zhengyuan, 80, said he had got used to living away from his three children who work in the city, and added that they could always visit him.

“At night, it’s very quiet here. There are more female than male residents. Women stay at the lower levels, and men from the fourth floor upwards. You need to make friends with your neighbours,” he said.

“My children come and see me once a week. I don’t want to live with them. I have hearing difficulties and my body is getting weaker.”

The home, which is run by a non-profit organisation, had a VIP visitor recently in Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, who liked what she saw.

The home is a result of commendable efforts by individuals and the government. Taiwanese philanthropist Sun Keren, whom the home is named after, donated 8.7mil yuan (RM4.52mil) to build the home on prime land contributed by the Jing’an district government.

The government appointed a non-governmental organisation to run the home, which does not pay rent on the land nor taxes.

This is a model Dr Ng wants to bring back to Malaysia where old folk’s homes are either run by the government or private sector, as many find privately-run homes expensive.

“The issue of giving senior citizens quality life is something my ministry must look at,” she told The Star.

“This is one model that is of great interest to me. This model looks at a joint venture between the government and an NGO. There is a clear structure, where the cost of infrastructure is taken care of by the government and the old folks pay an affordable price for staying here.

“The operator here has made efforts to ensure quality care in terms of food, living and independence of the elderly.” The home’s director Shen Jianmeng said: “Because of the preferential package and government’s support, we can charge between 1,100 yuan (RM571) and 1,800 yuan (RM935).

“All our employees are retirees from government departments and state-owned enterprises. They receive pensions and an additional monthly wage of 1,200 yuan (RM622). We don’t have to pay for wage increment and contribute to their social security, and this has cut down our costs.”

Shen said they had created jobs for retirees who were facing the pinch from rising costs of living in the city.

The city gives operators of old folk’s homes 5,000 yuan (RM2,595) for every bed to start their homes. Only those with more than 50 beds can register as old folks’ homes and there are now four such homes in the district.

Shanghai is an ageing society with probably the most number of senior citizens in China. The city has 1.55 million residents aged 70 and above, accounting for 11.2% of its population.

It is faced with the phenomenon of families getting smaller and more senior citizens living on their own, and the government encourages neighourhood committees and NGOs to set up care centres for old folks and has come up with various policies to meet their increasing need for housing.

“Not long ago, the government encouraged senior citizens to live in their own homes by giving them subsistence because there was not enough bed space in old folk’s homes in the district,” Shen said.

“It’ll be difficult to find space in Jing’an to build an old folk’s home like this one. The government is looking at other available resources, such as some vacant floors in low-rise apartments. These places may be located at different locations, but we can combine them under one management.”

Shanghai Bund
By CHOW HOW BAN

Pahang Sultan’s Honours List 2008

DARJAH KEBESARAN SULTAN AHMAD SHAH PAHANG YANG AMAT DIMULIA - PERINGKAT PERTAMA SRI SULTAN AHMAD SHAH PAHANG (SSAP)

Tengku Datuk Azman Sultan Abu Bakar, Lt Col Tengku Datuk Kamarulzaman Sultan Abu Bakar, Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen, Datuk Ong Tee Keat, Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Tan Sri Dr Mohd Jusoh @ Yusoff Md Nor, Tan Sri Ismail Omar, Admiral Abdul Aziz Jaafar, Datuk Seri Panglima Ahmad Said Hamdan, Datuk Abdul Munit Kasmin, Datuk Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman, Datuk Tew Kim Thim, Datuk Zarinah Sameehah Anwar, Datuk Mohamed Abid, Gen Tan Sri Muhamad Ismail Jamaluddin, Datuk Mohd Hanif Abdul Aziz, Datuk Paul Mony Samuel, Datuk Low Chang Hian, Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim, Datuk Nik Othman Nik Hussein, Datuk Seri Azalina Datuk Othman Said, Datuk Krishna Kumar Sivasubramaniam, Dr Tiong Ik King.

Dato’ Dr Ng Yen Yen Expresses Her Sincere Appreciation

Dato’ Dr Ng Yen Yen expresses her sincere appreciation for the support and encouragement shown by all during the recent elections.

“My heart felt gratitude to the voters, all members of the party and the general public for helping pave the way to this historical moment. The results allow me to be an agent for change; to continue on with the challenge of being an effective mediator and facilitator towards true progress sought by all Malaysians.”

Yen Yen first woman to become vice-president

Watch the video

FORMER Wanita MCA chief Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen made history when she was voted in as one of the four vice-presidents, the first woman to hold such a post.

Dr Ng obtained 1,659 votes.

The other three new vice-presidents are former central committee member Datuk Kong Cho Ha (1,798 votes), former MCA Youth chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai (1,725) and Johor deputy chief Datuk Tan Kok Hong (1,329).

Manifesto 2008

Direct BN membership a giant step, says Ng

PETALING JAYA: The Prime Minister’s proposal to allow direct membership into the Barisan Nasional is timely because it brings up a healthy and lively discourse, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen said.

She said Malaysia was a changing country and it was time for the Barisan to move away from racial politics.

“This is a way forward for the country to move away from community-based politics to a political landscape that ensures good governance, vibrant economy and trust in the judiciary,” she said.

She added that this move would also ensure that all Malaysians were given opportunities to develop.

Dr Ng was commenting on Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s proposal for the Barisan to have a special group of direct members for those who did not want to join any of the component parties.

He said this would make Barisan more inclusive and could be a good beginning for its reform.

Dr Ng, however, said the suggestion to implement the multi-racial direct membership must be thought through thoroughly.

She said the views of all component parties, including Umno, MCA and MIC, must be consulted.

“This is a good idea and it will be a major structural change for the Barisan but the mechanism of implementation must be studied carefully to ensure that it will be accepted by all and implemented smoothly,” she said.

On another matter, Dr Ng, who is vying for a vice-president’s post, clarified that a report in The Sunday Star quoting her call to party central delegates not to look at a candidate’s agenda as inaccurate.

“What I was saying was that the gender issue should not be the prime concern in the party.

“The agenda of all the candidates is very important,” she said.

Dr Ng had said that her contesting was also in line with the current global trend where gender did not count in politics.

Look at track record, not agenda, says Yen Yen

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA central delegates should look at a candidate’s track record and potential instead of agenda, said vice-president hopeful Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen.

“I believe the delegates will not use the agenda lens but will see the candidates’ track record, commitment, loyalty and capability,” she said after launching a manual for Welfare Department assistance here.

The Wanita MCA chief who is breaking into the “male zone” by vying for one of the four vice-presidencies, also announced her slogan €“ “Three + One: The Perfect Formula.” Dr Ng said she chose the slogan as “it is the perfect formula to have one woman and three men as vice-presidents”.

Nomination day is Monday while party elections will take place next Saturday.

Dr Ng said it was a historical moment for MCA to have a woman contest for one of the top posts in the party.

“Leaders must be agents of change.

“As the Women, Family and Community Development Minister, I have been pushing to have 30% of women in the decision making process. I will not be practising what I preach, if I do not contest,” she added.

Yen Yen outlines ways to regain people’s trust

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA vice-president aspirant Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen has promised to strengthen the party to ensure its effectiveness in the Barisan Nasional government and to secure equal opportunities for all Malaysians.

To achieve this, she said the party must re-invent itself and strengthen its machinery.

“We must also move into new areas of creative training to ensure the one million members are continually inspired by our challenges,” she told reporters after chairing her last Wanita exco meeting here yesterday.

Dr Ng is not defending her Wanita chief post in the party elections this month and is vying for a vice-president’s post.

Dr Ng also said Wanita MCA endorsed those vying for posts such as incumbent MCA Wanita secretary-general Datuk Yu Chok Tow; MCA central committee member Tan Cheng Liang; and MCA Central Committee candidate Senator Heng Seai Kie.

 
Energy source: Abdullah looking at the Jatropha seeds while SaintifikSiatic Centre for Genome Technology Sdn Bhd senior executive Alex Kuek Chun Seng tells him about the crop that can produce biofuel at the exhibition held in conjunction with BioMalaysia 2008 in Kuala Lumpur Tuesday. Looking on is Dr Ongkili (centre).
 
In Kota Baru, all 77 delegates of the Kelantan MCA pledged support for Dr Ng and called on other states to follow suit.

State MCA secretary Tan Ken Ten said 14 divisions had pledged support in a meeting chaired by state deputy liaison committee head Khor Chew Hing. “We should not look at gender. We should look at someone’s capabilities. She could be our next Sarah Palin (US Republican Vice Presidential candidate),” he told reporters at a press conference.

Tan, who is also the Kota Baru MCA division head, said Dr Ng had displayed strong leadership especially when she tackled controversial remarks by Bukit Bendara Umno division head Datuk Ahmad Ismail recently and the use of the Internal Security Act.

Time for woman to contest veep post, says Yen Yen

KUALA LUMPUR: This year’s MCA party elections is the best opportunity for a woman to wrest one of the four vice-president’s posts, Wanita chief Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen believes.

“If I do not seize this opportunity, I think I would be failing in my duty as a leader or woman leader. Yes, it is true, it is absolutely risky but that’s what leaders are all about,” she said in an interview.

“In politics, you must know why you are there. You are there to be an instrument of change. You are there to make a difference.”

The Women, Family and Community Development Minister said that over the last 33 years she had worked for the women’s agenda and the time was now ripe for her to champion a bigger cause.

Dr Ng said that this should not stop with her. In fact, she wanted women in the party to get into mainstream politics, especially with the “national level vacancies” available.

“This is the time,” she said, adding that in MCA’s 59-year history, there had never been a woman contesting such a high post.

The 62-year-old medical doctor with three grown-up children and one grandchild said her decision to contest for the post was also in line with the current global trend where gender did not count in politics.

She said that though 85% of the delegates in an MCA election were men, this would not be a problem as men did not see gender as an issue.

“When I tested the ground for the presidency and deputy presidency, there was a pause. But a woman for vice-president? They think it is about time,” she said.

However, the Kelantan-born Dr Ng said there were some delegates who still thought that she should stay as Wanita chief instead of contesting for a national party position.

“I know this is a very bold decision,” she said.

“I know I can lose everything if I fail. It is also true that I have been a minister for the last six months, but I feel a good leader should take his or her chances well and should be an agent of change.” ­€” Bernama

Ng to rely on Wanita credentials in veep bid

MALACCA: Wanita MCA chief Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen said she is vying for one of the party’s vice-president post on the platform of her role in the women’s wing, and is not relying on others.

Dr Ng, who is attempting to be the first elected woman vice-president in the party, said she was confident of making headway.

“The party’s central working committee is male-dominated, and so there is a need for more women to hold more top posts.

“I am confident of making a breakthrough,” she said, adding that her decision was also based on the need for women to play a greater role in shaping the party’s future direction.

Dr Ng was responding to a recent report in a Chinese daily quoting Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, who is vying for the deputy president’s post, saying he would not mind teaming up with Dr Ng.

Earlier, when addressing the sixth National Hokkien Women’s Convention here yesterday, Ng said the role of women had changed over time, and they played a more challenging and greater role in society today.

“We must not continue to live in the past but must move forward with the changing times,” she said, adding that women represented 50% of the nation’s human capital.

She said women’s associations in the country must stress on human capital training if they wanted to ensure their participation in more vital decision-making processes.