Recently, the Cabinet mulled over the employment age limit of just one citizen, the Election Commission chairman, and extended it from 65 to 66 years.

Sadly, the laws pertaining to the upper limit of age of employment has not kept up with the times. The Civil Law Act of 1956 states that it is fixed at 55 years of age. Such an arcane limit is beyond the comprehension of a sane individual.

This Civil Law Act has not kept up with the times. In fact, it is just the English Law adopted to apply to Malaya before independence.

Apparently, the insurance lobby is supportive of such a limit so that it is not burdened with compensations to be paid out beyond such an age limit.

Regrettably, our legislators and the Law Reform Commissioner have failed to act on this matter, which involves not one individual but the entire working rakyat.

Over the years, even the retirement age of civil servants has been extended from 55 to 56 years. And judges continue to serve up to age 65.

While such age limits can be applied to the civil service in order to create vacancies for the younger workforce, these limits are not applicable to the private sector.

I, therefore, urge the authorities concerned to bring some meaning to this age limit in our Civil Law Act and revise it forthwith.

If the Cabinet can find the time to revise the working age limit of just one person despite elections closing in, I believe they should give their immediate attention to this matter which relates to the rest of the rakyat.

Concerned Citizen.
Penang.

Source: The Star – January 11, 2008