Let people decide when they want to retire

I hope that in the near future, there will be legislation that makes it illegal to force anyone to retire because of age ("Tharman: S'pore's retirement age has to go at some point"; July 12).

Retiring at 62, when the life expectancy of Singaporeans has increased to 80 years for men and 85 years for women, is really retiring prematurely.

People reaching the retirement age still have an active mind and body and should continue working, otherwise much valuable human capital will go down the drain.

We must avoid the pitfalls of some industrialised countries, where workers are living longer, retiring earlier, having fewer children and saving less for their retirement.

Hence, removing the retirement age will not only help meet the demands of our population, but also provide us with the opportunity to make our own choices about when to retire.

Of course, there are critics who suggest that raising the retirement age may deprive younger people of jobs.

This is not necessarily so because as the population grows, job opportunities will also increase.

It is a fact that the retired workforce represents a huge pool of untapped resources - and we must use it, not lose it.

Jeffrey Law Lee Beng

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