Insight Down South
Published: Saturday July 6, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Saturday July 6, 2013 MYT 8:24:07 AM
There is a growing number of elderly Singaporeans being abandoned by their families in nearby foreign countries.
AN 82-year-old man found hungry and wandering in Johor Baru has sparked the discovery of several cases of elderly Singaporeans abandoned by their families in neighbouring towns and cities.
Once confined to hospitals and old folks’ homes in Singapore, these cases have now apparently migrated to nearby countries.
The man was picked up by the Malaysian police and repatriated to a home for the destitute two months ago, reported The New Paper. He was one of a number of elderly Singaporeans who were abandoned overseas.
He said he was left there by a family member and had a son in Singapore, the paper added. While he could walk, he was very weak and in a wheelchair.
Informed sources said there had been several similar cases in Jakarta and Johor. One case was found in China. The number was, however, relatively small.
To the detriment of its image, such cases of parents abandoned in hospitals and old folks’ homes in Singapore had increased.
This has added to criticism that despite being one of the richest countries in the world, Singapore has failed to take care of its elderly.
It is a common sight to see older folks cleaning tables or toilets in Singapore. Others collect bottles or cardboards for sale.
In 1994, the government passed the Maintenance of Parents Action that allows Singaporeans who are 60 and above to claim maintenance from their children who are capable of supporting them but are not doing so.
Parents can sue their children for maintenance in the form of monthly allowances or a lump sum payment.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong once said his Government would study how best to use this Act to get children to help pay for their parents’ care.
Singapore, which has the biggest number of millionaires per capita, has a significant dilemma with its ageing population.
One reason is that it lacks a real financial safety net for the aged like other developed countries.
The retirement age here is 62, but people live to an average of 83. This means retirees have some 21 years to survive on their savings.
Surveys have shown most savings here last an average of nine years.
“Most Singaporeans cannot afford to retire,” said a social worker.
That’s one reason why many middle class Singaporeans are termed “the sandwiched generation” because they are financially caught between raising children and supporting their aged parents.
To avoid this, some Singaporeans avoid getting married or having children.
As rising health and living costs keep rising, the financial dilemma of the aged threatens social harmony.
“It’s not that the elderly do not want to retire, many simply cannot afford to,” said a letter writer.
He wrote: “These senior citizens are not working as cleaners because they are saving to buy a condominium or a luxury car; it is because they need to feed themselves and their families.”
This is the other face of prosperous Singapore.
Much blame is on globalisation, insufficient safety net or poor education when young – or all these factors – but it has made old age synonymous to poverty and hardship.
The rising financial hardship of many senior citizens is one of the causes why many foreigners shun taking up Singapore citizenship.
“They prefer to earn their money here and retire at home where it’s cheaper,” said a civil servant.
For the same reason, many Singaporeans are migrating to foreign countries which provide a better safety net, especially for the elderly.
Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew once painted an exciting scenario of a fast-developing Singapore moving “into the upper half of the First World. We can do this in the next 10-20 years”.
Many Singaporeans who are 45 or older do not share his optimism.
They view growing old as not a good thing because some employers consider 45-year-olds as over the hill, preferring to replace them with younger, cheaper workers.
Making things worse is the large influx of foreign professionals who are ready to accept lower salaries.
The majority of aged workers are lowly skilled and make up the bulk of Singapore’s struggling class.
In recent years, their income has either stagnated or declined, while the rich got richer.
This affects their ability to save for retirement, despite the mandatory Central Provident Fund.
Only 27% of adult Singaporeans said that they had sufficient funds to retire, compared with 61% of Thais and 47% of Malaysians, according to an insurance company survey.
In a post-mortem of the 2006 election, leaders of the ruling People’s Action Party attributed its large 9% drop in popularity votes to disenchanted older votes.
But it is jobs that remain the bugbear for the seniors because many employers are reluctant to employ – or keep – people over 50.
A commentator said that government efforts to keep elderly people gainfully employed are failing, citing a friend who was retrenched from a foreign oil company.
“When he applied to a local one, he was told that at 55 he was too old. They were looking for someone below 48,” he added.
Citizens over 55 are given discounts for public transport and entertainment places (non-peak hours), far short of what the public wants.
These Singaporeans have spent a lifetime working hard to build Singapore up, whether as coolies or managers, and should be looked after during their sunset years.
Singapore is one of the most expensive places in Asia to retire in, observes a grandmother of two.
“The old should be enjoying their time, not working as cleaners.”
Published: Saturday July 6, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Saturday July 6, 2013 MYT 8:24:07 AM
There is a growing number of elderly Singaporeans being abandoned by their families in nearby foreign countries.
AN 82-year-old man found hungry and wandering in Johor Baru has sparked the discovery of several cases of elderly Singaporeans abandoned by their families in neighbouring towns and cities.
Once confined to hospitals and old folks’ homes in Singapore, these cases have now apparently migrated to nearby countries.
The man was picked up by the Malaysian police and repatriated to a home for the destitute two months ago, reported The New Paper. He was one of a number of elderly Singaporeans who were abandoned overseas.
He said he was left there by a family member and had a son in Singapore, the paper added. While he could walk, he was very weak and in a wheelchair.
Informed sources said there had been several similar cases in Jakarta and Johor. One case was found in China. The number was, however, relatively small.
To the detriment of its image, such cases of parents abandoned in hospitals and old folks’ homes in Singapore had increased.
This has added to criticism that despite being one of the richest countries in the world, Singapore has failed to take care of its elderly.
It is a common sight to see older folks cleaning tables or toilets in Singapore. Others collect bottles or cardboards for sale.
In 1994, the government passed the Maintenance of Parents Action that allows Singaporeans who are 60 and above to claim maintenance from their children who are capable of supporting them but are not doing so.
Parents can sue their children for maintenance in the form of monthly allowances or a lump sum payment.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong once said his Government would study how best to use this Act to get children to help pay for their parents’ care.
Singapore, which has the biggest number of millionaires per capita, has a significant dilemma with its ageing population.
One reason is that it lacks a real financial safety net for the aged like other developed countries.
The retirement age here is 62, but people live to an average of 83. This means retirees have some 21 years to survive on their savings.
Surveys have shown most savings here last an average of nine years.
“Most Singaporeans cannot afford to retire,” said a social worker.
That’s one reason why many middle class Singaporeans are termed “the sandwiched generation” because they are financially caught between raising children and supporting their aged parents.
To avoid this, some Singaporeans avoid getting married or having children.
As rising health and living costs keep rising, the financial dilemma of the aged threatens social harmony.
“It’s not that the elderly do not want to retire, many simply cannot afford to,” said a letter writer.
He wrote: “These senior citizens are not working as cleaners because they are saving to buy a condominium or a luxury car; it is because they need to feed themselves and their families.”
This is the other face of prosperous Singapore.
Much blame is on globalisation, insufficient safety net or poor education when young – or all these factors – but it has made old age synonymous to poverty and hardship.
The rising financial hardship of many senior citizens is one of the causes why many foreigners shun taking up Singapore citizenship.
“They prefer to earn their money here and retire at home where it’s cheaper,” said a civil servant.
For the same reason, many Singaporeans are migrating to foreign countries which provide a better safety net, especially for the elderly.
Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew once painted an exciting scenario of a fast-developing Singapore moving “into the upper half of the First World. We can do this in the next 10-20 years”.
Many Singaporeans who are 45 or older do not share his optimism.
They view growing old as not a good thing because some employers consider 45-year-olds as over the hill, preferring to replace them with younger, cheaper workers.
Making things worse is the large influx of foreign professionals who are ready to accept lower salaries.
The majority of aged workers are lowly skilled and make up the bulk of Singapore’s struggling class.
In recent years, their income has either stagnated or declined, while the rich got richer.
This affects their ability to save for retirement, despite the mandatory Central Provident Fund.
Only 27% of adult Singaporeans said that they had sufficient funds to retire, compared with 61% of Thais and 47% of Malaysians, according to an insurance company survey.
In a post-mortem of the 2006 election, leaders of the ruling People’s Action Party attributed its large 9% drop in popularity votes to disenchanted older votes.
But it is jobs that remain the bugbear for the seniors because many employers are reluctant to employ – or keep – people over 50.
A commentator said that government efforts to keep elderly people gainfully employed are failing, citing a friend who was retrenched from a foreign oil company.
“When he applied to a local one, he was told that at 55 he was too old. They were looking for someone below 48,” he added.
Citizens over 55 are given discounts for public transport and entertainment places (non-peak hours), far short of what the public wants.
These Singaporeans have spent a lifetime working hard to build Singapore up, whether as coolies or managers, and should be looked after during their sunset years.
Singapore is one of the most expensive places in Asia to retire in, observes a grandmother of two.
“The old should be enjoying their time, not working as cleaners.”
