By Zaki Salleh
IPOH : The establishment of the Halaman Suri Sejahtera community centre, an initiative by the Perak State Secretariat for Women and Community Development, is timely in addressing the current needs and challenges faced by society.
Halaman Suri Sejahtera has been developed as a safe, comfortable and easily accessible community centre to serve people from all walks of life.
Its activities include skills training, lifelong learning, psychosocial support, healthcare services, family development and economic empowerment programmes.
Perak State Executive Councillor for Women Development, Family, Social Welfare, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, Dato’ Salbiah Mohamed, said the facility will serve as a hub for implementing a wide range of holistic social development programmes.
She said Halaman Suri Sejahtera is not solely for women, but will also benefit senior citizens, children, vulnerable groups and the wider local community.
According to her, the initiative is in line with the Perak Sejahtera 2030 agenda, which emphasises social well-being and inclusive community development.
“Halaman Suri Sejahtera represents the state government’s social investment in building a support ecosystem that strengthens community networks.
“Mental health issues, the well-being of senior citizens, family development and women’s empowerment are among the key priorities identified across various districts.
“Therefore, we are proposing that the Halaman Suri Sejahtera model be expanded gradually to other districts, based on local needs and existing capacity,” she said.
She was speaking at the official opening ceremony of Perak’s Halaman Suri Sejahtera, located in Taman Lapangan Terbang here.
The ceremony was officiated by the Menteri Besar of Perak, Dato’ Seri Saarani Mohamad.
In her speech, Salbiah acknowledged that the growing number of senior citizens in Perak requires more age-friendly and accessible infrastructure.
She noted that senior citizens remain valuable assets to society, capable of contributing their experience, knowledge and wisdom to younger generations.
“We hope Halaman Suri Sejahtera will serve as a pilot project for the development of a more structured and sustainable social infrastructure throughout Perak.
“Suitable government buildings can be upgraded through a retrofitting approach to make them more accessible and user-friendly for women, senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
“The Perak State Secretariat for Women and Community Development will coordinate programmes with various strategic partners to ensure that the centre remains active and continues to benefit the community,” she added.
