20/10/2026

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Malaysian Paper

/thesundaily /

Century of lived wisdom L IVING to 100 remains a remarkable milestone but thousands of Malaysians have reached it. Their lives span o Malaysia’s centenarians in years ahead Ű BY AMEEN HAZIZI lifestyle@thesundaily.com generation. In her memory, it is worth considering what a century of life means for Malaysia’s oldest citizens and a country preparing for an older population. Women accounted for 2,761, compared with 1,526 men, making up nearly two-thirds of the total. Johor had the largest share at 14.6%, followed by Sabah at 14.4% and Selangor at 12.9%.

the years before independence, decades of nation-building and technological advances that would have been difficult to imagine during their childhoods. The passing of Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali on Sept 28 at 100 offers an occasion to recognise this

Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) figures reproduced by Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing (MyAgeing) recorded 4,287 citizens aged 100 and above as of June 2025.

“My advice is not to download Sanct for yourself. Download it with the one person you would call if your day went wrong, the next time you balik kampung. Scan each other and meet at the beach at 6pm. Sanct is only the bridge. The people are the point,” he added. Sanct has group chats for family and close friends with reactions, voice and video calls, check-ins at real places that only the user’s circle can see, a sleep check-in that lets friends know when someone is asleep and a good-morning screen that shows the night’s rest. Users are also accompanied by Sancty, a small companion inside the app who asks about breakfast and can remind a user that their usual sleep time is near. These habit 100 years of change For these Malaysians, events younger generations encounter in textbooks form part of their own lives. Those born in the 1920s grew up before Merdeka and witnessed changes in how people worked, travelled, communicated and raised families. Their memories can offer personal accounts of neighbourhoods, occupations and customs that have since changed or disappeared. Family conversations, photographs and recorded recollections provide ways to preserve those experiences. Yet centenarians also have lives in the present, with preferences, relationships and routines that deserve attention. Their age alone tells us little about how they spend their days or the assistance they need. What helps people reach 100? A centenarian’s favourite meal or daily routine often attracts curiosity. It is tempting to credit a particular food, an early bedtime or an easygoing temperament for such a long life. However, an individual habit cannot explain a century of survival. Material published by MyAgeing identifies lifestyle, social support and healthcare access alongside genetics as contributors to longevity. The institute has also reported efforts to validate Malaysia’s centenarians and develop long-term studies, including research into people who remain active beyond 100. Reliable age records are essential to that work. Researchers also need information about health and living conditions before drawing conclusions about what the oldest Malaysians have in common. Having thousands of centenarians does not, by itself, establish that the

Born on July 12, 1926, Siti Hasmah celebrated her 100th birthday just over two months before her passing. – THESUNPIC

who stops working at 60 and reaches 100 has four decades to finance after their final pay cheque. Preparing for more birthdays According to a Finance Ministry statement issued in August 2025, Malaysia is projected to become an aged nation by 2048, when those aged 65 and above reach the 14% threshold. The National Ageing Blueprint 2025–2045 covers employment, education, social protection, healthcare and long-term care. Turning these plans into accessible services will help families prepare for longer lives. Malaysia’s centenarians deserve recognition for the histories they carry and attention to the lives they lead today. Alongside celebrating their birthdays, there is much to do to ensure they can afford care, remain connected to others and have a say in how their later years are spent.

wider population is healthy. It documents exceptional longevity within that population. Living longer, needing different support Two people celebrating their 100th birthdays may have very different daily lives. One may manage meals and outings independently, while another requires assistance with dressing, bathing or moving around. Both should have opportunities to maintain relationships and make decisions about their routines. Accessible transport, nearby services and help at home can influence how much independence an older person retains. Families need support too. Caring for an elderly relative can involve appointments, medication schedules and daily supervision alongside employment and childcare. A longer retirement also means more years of expenses. Someone

Making time for older family members need not wait for a birthday or festive gathering. – 123RFPIC

Retirement can give couples more time for outings, shared hobbies and each other. – 123RFPIC

Sanct brings social app for family, close friends only SANCT, a social app made for family and close friends instead of followers, is available in Malaysia as a free download on the Apple App Store. people it is a small number. Sanct is made for those people, so it asks for five of them before anything else,” he said in a statement. He expects most Malaysians to start with their own family. cannot have dinner together on a Wednesday but they can meet at the beach after dinner.

Unlike most social apps, Sanct does not start with a list of suggested strangers. A user’s first friends are added by meeting in person and scanning each other’s QR code. Search and friend suggestions only open after a user has five friends, and even then reach only friends of friends. Users also decide who sees each moment they share: everyone in their circle, selected friends or only themselves. There is no public feed. Sanct founder Sion Abednego said the number was kept small on purpose. “Think about who you tell first when something good happens or when your day goes badly. For most

“For many Malaysians, the first five are easy to name: a parent in the home town, a brother or sister working across the causeway, two or three friends from school. Add them the next time you balik kampung and sit at the same table,” he added. Sion said its features, such as The Sanctum – a beach inside the app that opens at 6pm daily, was built with families like many in Malaysia in mind, where one member works in Singapore or in another state while the rest are at home. “Many Malaysian families have someone across the causeway, or a child working in Kuala Lumpur while the parents are in the kampung . They

Sanct is built for the people who would notice. – HANDOUT PIC

reminders are optional and switched off by default. Sanct supports Bahasa Melayu, English, Bahasa Indonesia and Hindi. It is free to use and carries no

advertisements. An Android version on Google Play is not ready yet. It has also released a short film series on YouTube about a family living across a border.