Government urged to raise official retirement age
Government urged to raise official retirement age
JAKARTA (JP): The government should extend the official
retirement age for civil servants and military officers, or risk
losing productivity from experienced workers, a retired general
says.
Former chief of the National Police Gen. Awaloeddin Djamin
told a seminar on old age here yesterday that the official
retirement age of 55 for civil servants and 48 for some
noncommissioned police officers is "no longer realistic" since
the average life expectancy of Indonesians has increased to 63
years.
"It's the government's own loss if it forces higher-ranking
military officers to retire at the age of 55, when they are at
their peak of wisdom and have experience which could never be
learned in schools," Awaloeddin said.
"The years that the government has invested in the officers
are consequently wasted," added Awaloeddin, also a former
ambassador and currently rector of the University of Pancasila.
Indonesia's economic development in the last 25 years has
significantly upped average life expectancy from 50 years in the
early 1970s. The government is hoping this rises further to 70
years.
"Please review the policy," Awaloeddin said, rejecting the
traditional excuse that older retirement age means fewer
positions for members of the younger generation.
The seminar on the preparation for pension age through life
fulfillment was held by the SMART Center for Resource
Development, and was opened by Coordinating Minister for Social
Welfare Azwar Anas. Other speakers yesterday were psychiatrist
Jusni I. Solichin and psychologist Hanna Djumhana Bastaman.
Azwar said that the government is aware of the call to delay
mandatory retirement and is currently working on solutions, as
well as preparing policies to better the welfare of senior
citizens.
Included in this program are healthcare and social security
insurance for the elderly. "We are collecting input and
suggestions from various groups for these policies," he said.
The Association for Elderly People has suggested several times
that Indonesia pay closer attention to the impact of the rapidly
growing number of senior citizens lest they become a burden to
society.
One way of easing the burden is to keep senior citizens
employed even after their official retirement age, the
association said.
Indonesia's large population has been aided by improvements in
health care and nutrition.
In Indonesia, the number of people over 65 has grown from
nearly three million in 1971 to 4.79 million in 1980 and 6.96
million in 1990.
By the year 2000, it is expected that the number of senior
citizens will rise to some 19 million.
Both Jusni and Hanna spoke about ways for pensioners to avoid
the "post-power syndrome" by, among other things, getting closer
to God and being more acceptant of what life has to offer. (swe)