I was at Adam Road food centre when I saw this old uncle bent with age and walking with very shaky legs and hands struggling to clean the toilet sink (barely).
Filled with sadness at the sight all I could think of at the moment was to tell him "Uncle, thank you for your good work" (in Mandarin) and a small gift of $10.
He looked at me and smiled tiredly and continued his work. Outside I saw his belongings in a small metal tin (some cigarettes and a bottle of medicated oil)
Perhaps we could all consider imparting some words of encouragement (and if circumstances permit a small token of appreciation) for this good man if we happen to be in the area.
Adrian Tee
Editor's Note:
We appreciate the kind gesture by the TRS reader. However, we believe that the main reason why the old in Singapore are still working is due to the absence of a proper pension scheme. The CPF scheme is not adequate to provide for the old who have not had a prosperous working life. It does nothing to provide for the poor.
Singapore’s retirement income system is based on the Central Provident Fund which covers all residents. Some benefits are available to be withdrawn at any time for specified housing and medical expenses with other benefits reserved for retirement. Even upon reirement, the money held in CPF is heavily controlled.
The following table shows Singapore’s position when compared to the 17 other countries in the Merce Global Pension Index 2013:
| _ | Score | Ranking |
| Overall Index | 54.8 | 13th |
| Sub-indices | ||
| Adequacy | 42.0 | 17th |
| Sustainability | 54.2 | 9th |
| Integrity | 76.2 | 9th |
The overall index value for the Singaporean system could be increased by:
• raising the level of social assistance available to the poorest aged members of society
• increasing the percentage of contributions required to be saved for retirement
• reducing the barriers to establish tax-approved group corporate and other retirement plans, to encourage non-residents (who comprise more than one-third of the labour force) to save for their retirement
• increasing the labour force participation rate amongst older workers.
The lack of a safety net for the old results in some seniros having no money or very little money to pay for their retirement. Even the Chinese government gives the people a small sum of pension money on a fortnightly basis in order to allow the old to survive. By comparing our pension scheme to other developed nation such as Australia, UK and other European countries, our scheme seems highly flawed. The CPF only works for those who have been in constant, moderately paid work for their entire working adulthood. For those who have seen difficulties during their working life, their CPF savings are grossly inadequate to support retirement. The system allows these individuals to fall through the gaps and they are forced to survive without much help.
Our Singapore government argues that such a scheme in other developed nations will not work in Singapore as some people will abuse the system to get free money and will also decrease the national productivity.
With a proper pension scheme implaced, it is no doubt that some people will abuse the system but ask yourself this question, would you rather see some lazy people abusing the system or the old and poor suffering on the streets?