SINGAPORE: In a speech in Parliament on Tuesday (Apr 18), Workers’ Party MP Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC) asked, “How do we build a country for all ages?” as she warned against the dangers of ageist attitudes found “everywhere” in society, including the workplace.
“How often do we hear of middle-aged job-seekers who report that once their age is revealed to the prospective employer, they would receive a polite response to wait for a follow-up call, which does not come? Indeed, in a survey released last March, the Ministry of Manpower confirmed that ageist attitudes were still prevalent in the Singapore workplace, affecting older workers,” Ms Lim, the chairperson of the WP, said.
Her speech involved not just ageism toward the elderly but toward the youth, and both groups must be assured that they are indispensable parts of society.
And while she highlighted the positive policies toward the elderly in Singapore, including health initiatives, Ms Lim also underlined the importance of watching “our public discourse, including debates in Parliament.”
“Ministers and MPs should avoid making statements that may inadvertently perpetuate ageism, such as: ‘By the year 2030, we will face a silver tsunami’, which evokes all the wrong images,” she added.
As for stronger protection for all workers, Ms Lim said, “On the employment front, there are policies to incentivise employers to hire older workers through wage offset schemes such as the Senior Employment Credit. Nevertheless, we are still eagerly awaiting the anti-discrimination legislation which the Prime Minister announced nearly two years ago.”
As for the young, Ms Lim said that reports have shown that some youth have grown cynical regarding the existing forms of engagement utilized by the government.
“Several interviewees argued that the engagement had to go beyond just talking, but should enable young people to have direct participation in governance and policy formulation. One person doubted that the views of young people would be accepted unless those views aligned with the government’s own ideals. Whatever the views expressed, there was common ground that any engagement should foster in young people a sense of responsibility.”
She added that the young do not only care about “woke” issues such as climate change or discrimination but have much broader interests.
“We must be careful not to pigeonhole young people’s issues into a handful of areas and only seek to engage them on those. That would be a big turnoff and a disservice to our young,” said Ms Lim. /TISG
WP chair Sylvia Lim reveals her silver hairstyle was inspired by Korean actress Seo Yi-Sook