Sprightly sexagenarians: (From left) Tan, Samy, Suzieana and Cheong.
WHILE the retirement age in Malaysia is fixed at 60, this has not deterred senior citizens from choosing to continue working. It is a way for them to live out their passions and find meaning and purpose, they say. A firm believer in the value of lifelong learning, Po Li Tan remains unwavering in her decision to continue holding workshops on coaching, leadership and team-building, even after 20 years of doing so. “It’s about passion.
“Work isn’t just work when you’re in your 60s. You hopefully have no worries about pay, can be yourself and give back to the community,” said the 62-year-old, who embraces a Chinese saying that promotes the belief that one is never too old to learn.
She added that through work, the elderly can continue to stimulate their minds and stay up-to-date on the latest happenings.On those who need to work for survival, she said companies need to offer compassion and better support.
Echoing Tan’s sentiments, sales coordinator Suzieana Abdullah, who stopped working for a few months after her retirement, said she decided to go back to the grind as she found staying at home monotonous. “It depends on the individual. “Some prefer to stay at home but it was very boring for me.
Retirement might feel like a holiday for a few months but after that, it could feel like the same old thing and you get bored,” the 60-year-old told StarEdu.
She also expressed gratitude that her request for her company to continue deducting her pay for the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) was accepted.
Now 68, S.G. Samy, who believes that age is just a number, is adamant about “keeping your engine going”.
“Rather than waking up in the morning not knowing what to do, I keep on moving,” said the sales manager.Advising his peers to continue doing what they love to do, he said this would make their lives exciting and stress-free. “If you do something you’re forced to do, it’ll just be taxing and miserable,” he said. However, he shared that working past retirement has its challenges.
“A challenge is that young people see you as an ‘uncle’. They put you on a pedestal, so they don’t like communicating with you,” he said, adding that he is willing to share the knowledge he has acquired over the years with the younger generation. Another challenge that Samy pointed out is the reluctance of some companies to employ the elderly – a scenario he hopes will change.
“Some companies might feel that you are a spent force and that your age is a liability,” he said. An optimist, he added, “As long as you’re healthy, you’re still in business.”
Retiree Cheong Seng Kin, on the other hand, offers a different perspective. “You have 22 years of schooling, you work for 33 years and then you live the rest of years enjoying yourself,” said the 61-year-old former general manager, who is devoting his retirement to health and travelling pursuits.
A proponent of maintaining the retirement age, he believes that working vigorously for pay at an older age could be detrimental to one’s health.“At this age, you live a less stressful life.
“There are no time constraints and you don’t have to worry about your children. You can do what you want, such as working on spiritual development, catching up with your friends, and networking,” he said.He added that adjusting to retirement wouldn’t be challenging if people already have a plan fully laid out.
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” he said.
Eu Kenn, 17, a student in Kuala Lumpur, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team.
For updates on the BRATs programme, go to facebook.com/niebrats.
With the theme of the article in mind, carry out the following English language activities.
1 What are some ways in which senior citizens who need to work for survival can be better supported? Discuss with your friends and present three suggestions in class.
2 Imagine that one of your family members is finding it difficult to adjust to retirement. Scan through the newspaper for three activities that would be suitable for him or her to take part in. When you are done, have a show-and-tell.
The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme promotes the use of English language in primary and secondary schools nationwide.
For Star-NiE enquiries, email starnie@thestar.com.my.
