In a Facebook post on Sunday (Mar 20), Professor Jamus Lim explained further his recent proposal in Parliament to provide free public transportation for the elderly and for people with disabilities.
He wrote that the objection some might have that the wealthy among the elderly would abuse this privilege is “just plain silly.”
Seeing “the large number of elderly who continue to work, even into their twilight years” has come as a “shock” to many Singaporeans and even foreigners, the Workers’ Party Member of Parliament for Sengkang GRC wrote.
“Many perform menial tasks, which are ill-suited to their advanced years. You’ve seen them. They’re in our fast-food restaurants, our coffeeshops, our estates.”
And while some work in order to stay productive, “there are many others that work because they have to, to make ends meet,” he added.
This is unheard of in most high-income countries, with exceptions for those who have “fallen out of the system (often because of addiction or mental illness).”
But in Singapore “working aged are undoubtedly still part of the system.”
The MP, an associate professor of Economics at ESSEC Business School, added that “the system doesn’t do enough to help them out.”
Instead, the government has stressed “the importance of keeping government lean,” which Prof Lim says is not necessarily a negative, except when this is done to the disadvantage of more vulnerable people in society.
“The #workersparty believes that more can be done to help these groups in society. Indeed, a good part of our manifesto proposes programs that lend greater support to the poor, the disabled, and the elderly. These strive for a more compassionate society.
One such proposal is to make transportation free for the elderly and disabled. This can have positive benefits for their wellness, encourage their labor force participation (if they do wished), and promote environmental sustainability to boot.”
He wrote that Transport Minister S Iswaran had argued that the proposal would be costly, which Prof Lim acknowledged.
But the WP MP noted the “many additional levers for raising revenue” to help fund the proposal.
He added that “even if we didn’t wish to go so far, so long as we buy the principle, there are many options for limiting the budgetary impact of the scheme.”
Some examples for this would be to limit the scheme to persons with disabilities and seniors above the age of 80 or give them free rides on public transport during off-peak hours.
But some people, he added, are those who altogether oppose the principle and ask why the elderly deserve government aid more than other groups, including the poor.
“There are (at least) three distinct arguments for supporting the elderly: first, they have contributed comparatively more, over time, to the existing system; second, they are generally less able to work to generate income; and third, even with savings, they live off fixed incomes.”
Prof Lim also wrote that some may wonder why taxpayers should subsidize the elderly, who may be wealthy.
His answer: “The notion that there are rich old people who would go around abusing this plan by taking free bus rides is just plain silly. In reality, only the less well-to-do will tend to do so.”
The most important thing, he added, is that “we should not forget the simplest inclusion of all: ensuring access to transport for those who cannot afford it. An inclusive and caring society can do more to offer our elderly the dignity to move around our beautiful city, free of charge, during their twilight years. Let them ride free.”
/TISG
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