Retirement News : Seniors : Remembering our seniors

Remembering our seniors

Date Added: 25-08-2005

As we prepare ourselves to celebrate the 48th independence anniversary of our nation next Wednesday, I would like to focus on a very special group of Malaysians: the senior citizens.

I’m referring to those who were young adults in 1957 when Merdeka was proclaimed and who were the backbone of our fledgling Malaysian society then.

I recently contacted local expert Dr Philip Poi, Associate Professor and Head of the Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, at the University Malaya Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur and asked him to share his thoughts on these extraordinary Malaysians.

I wanted to know what we younger Malaysians can do to show our appreciation for their contributions to society and how we can create a better world for them even as we ourselves grow older. 

Dr Poi said: “Our senior citizens gave their all to protect, establish and provide for what we all now take for granted: a stable, peace-loving, and successful multicultural nation.

“One wonders if we have done enough in return for these pioneers of the state? One could question if our society-at-large have focused too much on the physical development to become a developed nation by 2020 – and have forgotten to establish a social system to provide for those who paved the way for us?”

He called for a review of the retirement age in both the public and private sectors. “The official retirement age is 56 and persons who extend employment beyond this age are often offered fewer benefits or lower remuneration. The message we are sending to the whole population is that one becomes less useful once one passes this ‘magic’ age. A flexible retirement age and wage based on efficiency and performance would pave the way for faster development of this country.

“In the early years, the retirement age was fixed at 60 with earlier retirement allowed at 55 only when the service of a person was not needed (under the 1951 Pension Ordinance). The retirement age was reduced from age 60 to 55 under the Suffian Salary Commission in 1967.

“Compulsory retirement at age 55 was adopted by the Cabinet Committee set up in 1975. The life expectancy at the time of Merdeka in 1957 was 55.8 years for males and 58.2 years for females.

“Now, the life expectancy has improved some 16-18 years. While it was once possible to ‘work to death’, one is now faced with ‘idle’ time after retirement, amounting to some one third of the life span or half of the working life of an adult.

“Should we continue to follow the present rule of retirement and ‘waste away’ such a large proportion of the human resource?

“With higher educational achievements, it would become even more critical for this valuable human resource to be harnessed in our pursuit for developed nation status in the year 2020.”

He also suggested that there should be complete integration with society. “The majority of seniors live in their own homes and prefer not to live in old folks’ homes. With preventive health care from young, many more seniors are likely to avoid illnesses and disability and continue to be involved in many mainstream activities.

“Unfortunately, social interaction and outdoor activities are limited by the development of user-unfriendly public transport (with the exception of Putra LRT), dangerous uneven pavements, and the multitude of steps to access many buildings.

“Only large shopping malls appear to be accessible, and perhaps community centres could be set up in these places to allow young and old to integrate.

“The UN principles of Independence, Participation, Care, Self-fulfilment and Dignity for Older Persons would indeed be sadly lacking in this country if such choices are not made available for this special group of people.”

He called for young people to be sensitised to the needs of their elders. “The main goal of education should be to ensure the continued success of this nation. More seniors will not have the privilege of having family members to care for them, as many daughters now choose to work. The school curriculum can include programmes to foster understanding between the generations.

For More Information:

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2005/8/25/lifefocus/11844846&sec=lifefocus