Lim Tean speaks up on the plight of elderly cleaners: We need to create a decent society

Singapore — Opposition leader and lawyer Lim Tean spoke up about the elderly in Singapore still having to work even in old age.

The previous day, Mr Lim shared a post that included photographs of two elderly women clearing tables at a food centre.

Mr Lim says that this is quite a common sight in Singapore and that it is sad and cruel to witness the elderly working so hard despite being so old.

He also shares a comment that a young netizen left on his previous post. The netizen said that Singapore might be the only Asian country where the elderly have no choice but to work even when they hit 70 and that they are not working out of boredom or wanting physical activity to keep themselves fit. He added that he was ashamed at how the system implemented in Singapore is such that one is forced to work until the day that they pass away.

Mr Lim says that the comment affected him greatly which led him to share it in his next post for more people to read. He says that the comment illuminates how much Singapore has regressed and deteriorated. Moreover, it highlights how Singapore is somewhat backward when it comes to fundamental decency and the way the government looks after the welfare of its citizens.

Many netizens chipped in with their thoughts in the comments section.

Some were upset and sympathized with the plight of elderly cleaners.

Some felt that more should be done to allow the elderly to retire and live comfortably in Singapore.

Meanwhile, a few older netizens were worried about how their children and grandchildren would fare in society when they got older.

Many brought up the fact that their friends and colleagues from overseas were astonished to see elderly cleaners when they visited Singapore.

You Zi Xuan is an intern at The Independent SG. /TISG