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Calls mount for reactivation of commission for elderly as Indonesia’s population begins to age
In 2019, elderly people, or those aged 60 years old and above, account for 9.7 percent of the population at 25.9 million, meaning that Indonesia has entered the ageing population phase, which begins when elderly people make up 7 percent or more of the population.
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In 2019, elderly people, or those aged 60 years old and above, account for 9.7 percent of the population at 25.9 million, meaning that Indonesia has entered the ageing population phase, which begins when elderly people make up 7 percent or more of the population. (Shutterstock/BaanTaksinStudio)
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s Indonesia enters the early stages of an ageing population, experts have called on the government to reactivate the dormant National Commission for the Elderly (Komnas Lansia) to better organize programs designed for the country's more than 25 million citizens aged 60 and above.
The commission was established in 2004 by the government to ensure the welfare of the elderly but has reportedly been inactive since 2015 due to internal reasons.
Tri Budi Wahyuni Raharjo, a professor at the University of Indonesia and advisor for the Elderly-Friendly Indonesia Foundation (IRL), said that ever since the commission went inactive, coordination and synchronization between the central government, local administrations and other stakeholders on programs for the elderly had become more difficult.
"The ministries are very sectoral and they have their own main tasks and functions [...] When the commission was still active, it did a good job of coordinating all concerned ministries, universities, civil society organizations and other important stakeholders," Tri told reporters on the sidelines of a panel discussion on the elderly held by the Social Affairs Ministry in Jakarta on Wednesday.
As an example, she cited regional commissions called Komda Lansia that are still active in several regions and are led directly by deputy regional leaders such as deputy governors, regents and mayors. As a result, coordination between related agencies was hassle free, she said.
"In South Korea, the national commission for the elderly is led directly by the president. [...] I believe that if Komnas Lansia was led by our president as well, then all programs could run well and Indonesia could be the elderly-friendly country it wishes to become," Tri added.
In 2019, elderly people, or those aged 60 years old and above, account for 9.7 percent of the population at 25.9 million. This means Indonesia has entered the ageing population phase, which is marked by having an elderly population that accounts for 7 percent or more of the total population. The number is predicted to rise to 48.2 million, or 15.7 percent of the population, by 2035.
