The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry has submitted a proposal for inclusion in the budget, which will be tabled this Friday, to encourage the private sector to employ senior citizens.

NONE Its minister, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, said that since last year, a 10 percent deduction was given to private companies which employed senior citizens.

However, she said, the response was not good.

"I hope Prime Minister Najib Razak will announce something interesting to attract private companies to employ senior citizens, besides new incentives for the less fortunate, including senior citizens, in the coming budget," she added.

Speaking to reporters after opening the national-level Senior Citizens Day in Sungai Petani today, Shahrizat said had met with several companies, including the Projek Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan (Plus), to get them to employ senior citizens.

Earlier in her speech, Shahrizat said only a stable, strong and credible government could implement welfare programmes for the people.

"The BN government is caring. We don't make empty promises. For as long as BN is in power, the welfare of the poor and the less fortunate, like the senior citizens, will be looked after," she added.

She said that this year alone, RM1.4 billion was allocated under the 1Malaysia People's Welfare programme, of which RM433 million was for welfare aid for 120,496 senior citizens.

Health a major factor

Meanwhile, the health status will be a major factor in the decision to allow a civil servant to carry on working if the retirement age is raised from 58 to 60, Cuepacs president Omar Osman said today.    

He said this was to ensure that only those who were really fit were offered the extension in retirement age so that they would not be going on medical leave often.  

Many civil servants, especially women, would opt to retire at 58 and, as such, only 40 per cent of civil servants would want to carry on working until they are 60, he told reporters after opening the general meeting of the Peninsular Malaysia National Union of Health Administrative Assistants in Johor Bahru.

- Bernama