Chin Wang - To what extent should the Singapore government be responsible for taking care of the elderly?

The government may be expected to take responsibility for taking care of the elderly when they do not have the physical well-being of staying in the workforce and are unable to financially support themselves. As long as the government can afford it, and it does not strain its economy to offer subsidies for the elderly, the government can intervene to take care of the elderly financial problems. The government should be concerned regarding the welfare of the elderly for the contributions that they had to the country’s economy during its booming age. Furthermore as most of the elderly are illiterate and begin to have illnesses, they are unable to keep up with the time and are easily eliminated from the industry and this affects their livelihood. Hence, many of them might be unemployed and would not receive a regular income to lead a comfortable life. As a result, many have opted to live a simple lifestyle with sufficient necessities for their everyday life. For example, many elderly in Singapore that are illiterate and can only afford single room which they often live alone in. This causes the government to force individuals to save up for their retirement with schemes when they begin working such as CPF. However, other factors should come into the picture. The elderly themselves should save for their own retirement as it is their responsibility for the retirement plans that they wish to have in the future keep their own savings in case there is a need for them in times of hospitalisation and recessions. Therefore, it is appropriate that the individual are encourage to begin saving up for their retirement in preparation for old age as soon as they begin their careers. As a result, the government may be expected to take responsibility in taking care of the elderly.