EDITORIAL: Ageing society masterplan has to be written now

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

Ageing society masterplan has to be written now

By The Nation

 

 

Thailand requires comprehensive preparations for the invitable

 

Some policies needed to be thought through more than others. A policy to cope with the country’s ageing society is among those that are extremely sensitive. It’s an issue that requires comprehensive planning and the people in charge must know it inside and out.

 

It’s not a big problem yet – but an aeging population is an inevitability for Thailand, whose low birth rate will certainly cause major economic and social changes. Some sectors have begun preparations, but the situation warrants a lot more than new concepts in housing complexes and rearranging department store shelves.

 

A big related issue is labour, and one measure that will gain more and more acceptance is the re-employment of retirees. This will have to take into account geographical factors and the unique habits of old people, who don’t like to be too far away from home.

But policymakers will have much more to think about than what kind of work will suit these retirees and where to put them. Dealing with young people is equally important.

 

Skill development will become crucial. It must be part of an all-encompassing political vision, covering technological progress and economic trends. For countries like Thailand, where labour skills have undergone a major transformation, the situation is complicated enough even without the ageing society being a factor.

 

The ageing of society is a game changer, and labour plays a big part in that.  In both “rich” countries like Japan and Singapore and relatively poor nations such as Vietnam, things will drastically change when it comes to the workforce.

 

Singapore has been adapting vehemently. Its senior citizens are becoming an increasingly important part of the workforce. The change has been unavoidable, however, as the proportion of workers aged over 60 in Singapore is about 12 per cent now – double the percentage of a decade ago. Competitiveness remains important in the island nation, but its badly stretched human resources are forcing rethinks on many fronts.

 

Thailand is not that far behind on this unenviable track. About 20 years from now, it is estimated that over 20 per cent of the Thai population will be “old”. That is one in every five Thais – and the percentage is expected to be the second-highest in Southeast Asia after Singapore.

 

But Thailand’s ongoing political divide has hampered or aborted policies that should have been given the utmost importance. That is in addition to the “normal” Thai politics, in which the education portfolio has rarely received its deserved attention from politicians. All the ignorance and politicisation must end if Thailand is to really prepare itself for the imminent ageing of society.

 

The upcoming election fight should, for once, see attention paid to concrete issues such as the ageing society and relatively poor standards of education. What rival politicians and the military will set out to do, however, is predictable. They are very likely to argue over abstract matters that will take the country nowhere.

 

Real issues demand that everyone fighting “ideologically” with each other at the moment should forgo their prejudices. They are crying out for real attention, clear-cut direction, all-encompassing planning and unified implementation. These challenges warrant sacred agendas that have to be firm and long-standing regardless of who is in government or opposition. 

 

The ageing society is among those issues, and those vying for political power should compete in presenting their ideas to the public on how to solve it.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30344730

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-07

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The upcoming election fight should, for once, see attention paid to concrete issues such as the ageing society and relatively poor standards of education. What rival politicians and the military will set out to do, however, is predictable. They are very likely to argue over abstract matters that will take the country nowhere.

he nailed it right there; this intellectual presentation will fall on deaf ears; the greater good will be put aside in favor of the 'me first' recurring instances of rulers

[colinneil]

9 minutes ago, Expatthailover said:

Oh wow country has to deal with the brand new issue thay surprise surprise people are living longer.

This will bring out the usual cheery individuals 

In your haste to post trying to mock other TV members, you posted nonsense.

Better to sit back and think first, then maybe post something that makes sense.

[metisdead]

A troll post has been removed while the reply to it was not. 

[mikebell]

As the flower of Thailand's youth are allowed to kill themselves on the country's roads on a daily basis by an indolent police force, how about some action from Government?

[Lupatria]

We all know already what disaster follows when they propose a "master plan."

[starky]

Thailand? Masterplan?