Retiring later is Cuepacs’ Merdeka wish

The Star

ALOR STAR: Increasing the retirement age to 58 or 60 years will be the best 50th Merdeka gift for Malaysians, said Cuepacs president Omar Osman.

He said Cuepacs hoped Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would announce the good news in conjunction with Merdeka celebrations.

“If we want to achieve excellence and glory, we need to utilise our experienced and skilled people,” he said after opening the Kedah Cuepacs annual general meeting in Bukit Kayu Hitam yesterday.

Omar said the time was right in view of better healthcare, longer life span and higher cost of living.

“It is too early for one to retire at 56, especially now that the population enjoys a longer life span and better healthcare,” he said.

Omar said the retirement age in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and South Korea was 60 and above.

“Malaysia is relatively more advanced than some of its neighbours. But our workforce retire much earlier,” he said.

Cuepacs had asked for a later retirement age in a 1998 memorandum.