On Labour Day, Workers’ Party politician Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim, looked back on his days as a general worker and dispatch rider, but also noted that many of his former colleagues, now older but still working past retirement age, face an uncertain future as their savings may not be enough to see them through.
In a Facebook post on Sunday (May 1), Mr Abdul Shariff wrote that he thinks about his former colleagues every year on Labour Day, and shared some of his own past experiences, including lying down on a concrete floor during the midday break, a feeling that he described as “heavenly.”
“It was cooling and provided indescribable comfort to my tired limbs. The King Koil that I’ve been sleeping on today, with all its advanced features, has never given me this level of comfort,” he added.
He also wrote about a meal he often had during those days, “nasi pukul mati (literally translated: whack-till-die rice),” which he described as “a humungous amount of rice with curry, vegetables, and a poppadum. It kept our limbs going for the rest of the day. I understand it’s still sold today.”
However, he also voiced concerns over older workers, most of whom have stayed in low-wage jobs, going from one employer to another.
“It was difficult to pick up a skill when you’re exhausted at the end of the day from all the heavy lifting and yelling if you had a nasty supervisor. So, rest is very much needed and it prepared you physically and mentally for the next day. Opportunities to move up was therefore scarce. My own progress would probably have stalled had I not been lucky,” Mr Abdul Shariff explained.
He added that many continue to work despite being well past their retirement age, as “they worked during a period when financial and healthcare support were modest. The savings accumulated over the course of their working life are insufficient to retire in a first world of high costs – and still rising.”
The WP politician surmised that the price of nasi pukul mati has probably also risen since his days as a general worker, but added that he hopes “it’s still affordable and has not taken on a different meaning.”
Mr Abdul Shariff, who was part of the WP slate in East Coast GRC during the election in 2020 and is active on the ground there with party mates including Ms Nicole Seah and Mr Kenneth Foo, added photos of a WP food distribution exercise held on Apr 30.
/TISG