PENSIONS ARE NOT FROM TAXPAYERS MONEY : PENSIONERS ASSOCIATION

  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