KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — Malaysia should coordinate efforts and policies when it comes to longevity and older people, by getting the government, businesses and civil society to work together, National Council of Women's Organisations (NCWO) Malaysia president Prof. Emerita Tan Sri Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan has proposed.

Dr Sharifah said there is a need to have a coordinating body, adding that it is up to the federal government on how this body would operate, such as as a council or committee.

She stressed that the coordinating body must be multi-sectoral, which means it should involve not only the government, but also others such as the private sector and non-governmental organisations.

She said the proposed coordinating body would look at policies on creating a society that will not only live longer but also put life to age, and also at all aspects of a longer life.

"It is looking at the economy, looking at the social aspects, looking at the health aspects, looking at the educational aspects. You imagine yourself going towards old age, there's so many things affecting you right, everything that impinges on your life going towards old age. They have to plan together well so that we will move there healthy, curious," she told Malay Mail when met recently at the Employees Provident Fund's (EPF) International Social Wellbeing Conference 2026.

Dr Sharifah said different ministries currently handle different matters relating to older people, such as the National Ageing Blueprint 2025-2045 being under the Ministry of Economy; and the Malaysia Care Strategic Framework and Action Plan (2026–2030) being under the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.

When speaking about the need for a coordinating body, she noted for example that caregiving and the care industry involves both economic and social aspects.

She said there are also other industries relating to ageing, such as tourism which is a big industry as older people may have different interests when it comes to travel.

During an ISWC 2026 panel session titled "The Long Horizon: From Structural Force to Lived Reality", Dr Sharifah had raised the idea of having a coordinating body or governing body to see through all efforts relating to longevity and older people in Malaysia.

"I think our country lacks that governing body to actually see this through. We have got the blueprint and the strategic plan. But they are belonging to different ministries, you know, so I think somebody must try to coordinate this," she said during the panel session.

Dr Sharifah was responding to a question from moderator Shazana Mokhtar, who asked what could help improve coordination among different government agencies and also external stakeholders.

Fellow panel speaker and UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) director, Nicola Palmarini, proposed the idea of setting up a Ministry of Longevity, a feature which he said is missing from current governments globally.

"Probably we need a Ministry of Longevity, because it's a ministry that sees the metrics from very different perspective, it's not simply healthcare, transportation... it's how you connect dots, the data to these elements that helps understand the other factors," the Professor of Ageing, Policy and Planning at Newcastle University said at ISWC 2026.

"Well, I I can say that nobody yet has taken literally this thing so seriously to design what I try to force as a provocation as a Ministry of Longevity," he later said.

He suggested that such a hypothetical ministry could measure the return on different longevity policies, including by measuring all the factors that could influence people living a good and long life, such as education, social factors and pollution.

Earlier in his presentation, he had highlighted Marcella Messina, who is the first-ever official with a longevity portfolio in Italy, with her role being the Councillor for Social Policies, Longevity, Health and Sport in the municipal council of Bergamo in Italy.

Among other things, Palmarini also said there is a need to involve the private sector, as this could create opportunities to accelerate longevity solutions.

JP Morgan Asset Management's Chief Market Strategist (Asia Pacific), Tai Hui, said governments do have a role to play in providing guidance on what is appropriate for the population when it comes to essential services such as healthcare and elderly care.

At the same time, he said the private sector's creativity in providing age-friendly services should not be underestimated.

"For example, in China, we now start to have more package tours designed for the elderly with a less demanding schedule - you don't start at 7am every day, you build in a nap break in the afternoon, you've got softer food being served.

"I remember my dad has a phone which has super-large font size, where it's easier to read, it's simpler to use," he said as a speaker at the same panel session as Sharifah and Palmarini.

"So I think if you give the private sector sufficient room to design and be creative, they can come up with the products that are suitable for the older population as well," he said, indicating that the private sector would design products and services targeted towards older people since they form a large part of the consumer base.

"But there's clearly a public service aspect, which the government has a much bigger role to play, to make sure that it's affordable, is decent quality, and is suitable for the older population," he said.

The ISWC 2026, which was themed "The Long Horizon", is EPF's 13th edition and brought together international and local experts over two days to speak on wide-ranging topics related to longevity.