TASH Aw, renowned and bestselling writer, writes in the New York Times of elderly people working in food courts and hawker centers in, of all places, super rich / and super socially progressive Singapore.
Singapore has had almost full employment since Indepedendence.
The retirement age is among the oldest. Its retirement benefits the most generous. And its young population prides itself as being Asian, or rather Confucian, in caring for the old. But here were their old people working at menial jobs.
In Tash Aw’s words, the elderly Singaporeans were “diligently tidying away trays, scraping leftovers into bins, and wiping tables and floors with disinfectant.”
Tash asked the elderly workers why they work, calling them “Auntie” or “Uncle,” like my daughter calls cab drivers in the Lion City.
Loneliness was one reason; extra income even if small and reluctance to be a burden on their families are others or all three. A major reason: the desire to continue contributing to the miracle of Singapore. It has had the only unremittingly intelligent government in the world, aside from Denmark if we believe Francis Fukuyama.
The young are embarrassed that their old people work at menial jobs. But they shouldn’t be. They are just confused.
When one study concluded that Singapore could use 1 million more workers, there was an outcry that this would invite immigrants’ so the retirement age was pushed to 67 from to 65, and that of cab drivers to 75 from 73.
But Singapore will always need foreign workers. And if the young see their elderly folk working at the same menial jobs as OFWS, they may come to treat them better and respect the kind of work that this privileged generation of Singaporeans look down on.
With one of the best education systems in the world, one of the most productive though selective generations in history, and one of the highest per capita GDPs, along with super good social housing and health care, and the longest working hours, Singapore needs OFWS to take care of the home for them. And thereby acquire a greater sense of common humanity with those who take care of their homes and do the menial jobs—be they foreign domestic workers or their own elderly folk.