29 OCTOBER 2023
Attendance with Dr Ryna (3rd from L) Hj Mohd Sepuan, Lingham and Sipaun
KOTA KINABALU. President of Sabah Government Pensioners
Association, Datuk Wilfred Lingham reminded that pensions are not paid
from taxes but from a Retirement Trust Fund (KWAP) which every pensioner
contributed by way of deductions from their salaries for at least 10
years of their working life. He said this when closing the Pensioner's
one-day forum/seminar titled "Ageing with Dignity" here, weekend 28 October at Sky Hotel, Kota Kinabalu.
He
said retirement is a universal practice where a person in long service
is given a mandatory rest and paid monthly remuneration, medical
facility and funeral expenses to the immediate family
Hence, any talks or suggestions of ending the pension scheme will be rejected by all the pensioners associations, he added.
He
urged all present civil servants to obey the Chief Minister's directive
to have a high sense of integrity and avoid any forms of corruption.
Pensioners
with skills learnt during working life and combined with knowledge from
the seminar can still contribute to society while living a healthy
lifestyle, he concluded.
Earlier
keynote address was given by Tan Sri Simon Sipaun, retired Sabah State
Secretary who had other prominet positions including State Public
Service Commission and Suhakam.
Explaining
the word "dignity" in details, he said it was associated with status,
royalty, religious groups or men of means, an ascribed status rather
than achieved.
However
atrocities committed during the two world wars pushed the United Nations
to produce the Declaration of Human Rights on 10 Dec 1948 with the
preamble "Recognition of inherent dignity, equal and inalienable rights
of all members of human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and
peace of the world"
He quoted the first article, "All human beings are born equal in dignity and rights"
Following
this declaration, dignity is no longer earned because of class, race or
other advantages but belongs to all humans and not to be taken away or
violated by any authority. It is a state of being worthy of honour and
respect irrespective of status.
Sipaun
said pensioners are in better position to protect and maintain their
human rights and dignity by being members of an organisation acting as a
group rather than as individuals.
It is good for the pensioner and good for the world, he said.
He
also gave another advice to his fellow pensioners, not to transfer down
any properties early but better to make a will and urge them to
remember "health is wealth".
Topics
covered during the seminar included "Ageing with Modern Technology" by
Dr Ho Kee Kheen from QE1 hospital, "How Senior Citizens contribute after
retirement" by Datuk Hj Mohd Sepuan bin Anu, "Understanding Depression
and Ways to Cope" by Rev Dr Peter Abas, and "Importance of mindfulness"
by Dr Ryna Imma Buji from Hospital Mesra.
This
year the Sabah Pensioners Association nominated two Pesara Bestari
Awards, Mr Joseph Jominol and Evelyn Lim, both had a long illustrious
services in Sabah.
115 pensioners from Sabah and 35 from Sarawak attended the seminar.
Evelyn and Joseph
