OF 1MALAYSIA RACISM & RE-EMPLOYMENT OF OLDER WORKERS

Source: Straits Times 10 Feb 2011

If there is any mainstream newspaper that I read on a daily basis, it's the Singapore Straits Times. I read it for two reasons: for news about Malaysia that no Malaysian mainstream media (MSM) would print, and for news about Singapore's active ageing programmes.

For instance, the article above by John Mallot, former US ambassador to Malaysia, has been circulating online for several days now since it first appeared under the title "The Price of Malaysia's Racism" in the Wall Street Journal Asia on 8 Feb. To date, there has been no direct mention of the article in any of the Malaysian MSM. If you haven't read it yet, click on the link to read the full article. Worth reading.

And below is Mahathir's response to some of the comments raised by Lee Kuan Yew in his book "Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going". Click here to read the article.

Source: Straits Times (11 Feb 2011)

As for news on active ageing and retirement, below are some snippets. Malaysians probably won't see news articles like these below as there are hardly any policies in place to assist older workers seeking re-employment. Except for raising the retirement age for civil servants to 58, the Malaysian government has done little to re-train older workers or offer some form of aid for those seeking a second career in their later years. For the private sector, the retirement age remains at 55 - an age many see as the new 40!


Source: Straits Times 11 Feb 2011

Come January 2012 the new Retirement and Re-employment Act will take effect in Singapore. Under this law, it is mandatory for companies to offer eligible employees an option to continue working beyond 62 - first to 65 and later to 67.

The operative word here is 'eligible', meaning the workers must be medically fit and have shown satisfactory work performance. Employers can offer them either 3-year contract or one-year renewable contracts until they reach 65.

For those who cannot or will not be re-hired, employers must give them a one-time payment of between S$4500 and S$10,000. Not all employers are happy with this.

Click here to read more about the Retirement and Re-employment Act and the tripartite guidelines.