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)