Credit : Gobind Singh Deo's X
PETALING JAYA, October 26, 2026 — Digital Minister and Damansara Member of Parliament Gobind Singh Deo has paid tribute to the community’s senior citizens after joining an International Day of Older Persons celebration in Damansara Jaya, describing them as a living source of inspiration for younger Malaysians.
In a post shared on X on Monday morning, Gobind said older people were far more than a chapter in the nation’s past.
“Senior citizens are not merely part of our history. They continue to play an important role in shaping our communities and serve as an inspiration to generations to come,” he wrote in Malay.
“I was honoured to be together with some 200 to 250 participants at the Senior Citizens Day celebration,” he added.
https://x.com/GobindSinghDeo/status/2114530100666621974
Photographs shared by the minister in a series of posts showed a packed banquet hall, with Gobind moving between tables to shake hands and chat with elderly guests, addressing the gathering from the podium and posing for a large group photograph with participants. The stage backdrop carried the title “International Day of Older Persons” together with the logos of DJSCA and PAWE Damansara Jaya, and was dated October 24, 2026.
PAWE, or Pusat Aktiviti Warga Emas (Senior Citizens Activity Centre), is part of the network of community centres run under the Social Welfare Department (JKM) to keep older Malaysians active, connected and engaged in their own neighbourhoods. According to the department, the centres form part of a wider push to build senior-friendly communities alongside the National Senior Citizens Policy and the National Senior Citizens Action Plan.
The Damansara Jaya gathering follows the national-level Senior Citizens Day celebration held on October 3 at the Melaka International Trade Centre, which was officiated by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Dato’ Sri Nancy Shukri under the theme “Warga Emas Disayangi, Negara Harmoni” (Cherished Seniors, A Harmonious Nation).
Speaking at that event, Nancy said Malaysia is expected to become an ageing nation in 2036, when people aged 60 and above make up 15 per cent of the population. Citing Department of Statistics Malaysia projections, she said 4.2 million of the country’s estimated 34.4 million people in 2026 — or 12.3 per cent — are senior citizens.
“We do not see senior citizens as a burden, but as a valuable asset to the nation. They are keepers of experience, bridges between generations and drivers of values-based development,” she said at the time, adding that the government was emphasising family-based care and ageing in place.
The International Day of Older Persons is observed globally on October 1 after it was designated by the United Nations in 1990, while Malaysia began recognising the celebration in 1992. Communities across the country typically hold their own gatherings throughout October to honour older residents.
Gobind has made engagement with senior citizens a regular feature of his constituency work in Damansara. Earlier this month, on October 3, he joined senior citizens at the Program Warga Emas Berdikari (Independent Senior Citizens Programme) for a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, where he commended community efforts to ensure older residents remain active, informed and equipped with useful skills so they can lead fulfilling and independent lives.
In late September, he also launched the Program MADANI Kita for the Damansara parliamentary constituency at the Damansara Damai Community Hall, a government outreach initiative that brings ministries and agencies directly to local residents to deliver information and services and to hear their concerns.
As Malaysia’s population continues to age, community-level celebrations such as the one in Damansara Jaya serve as a reminder of the contributions older Malaysians have made, and continue to make, to family and community life.
Source: Gobind Singh Deo on X; Social Welfare Department (JKM) media statement, October 3, 2026
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