By Joseph Akim Gordon
Civil servants in South Sudan retire at an age 65 but earlier retirement before reaching the official retirement age, the law allows an early retirement, early retirement has an added advantage, in some countries those who retire early receive an attractive bonus to allow them to become self-employed and possibly create employment opportunities to others.
In South Sudan retirement means that you are condemned, you get retired, but you do not get your post-benefits in time, the process is made so difficult that for an elderly person is difficult in many cases pensioners die few years after retirement because of lack of human basic services and simple diseases that are curable. So there is need to abolish pension scheme and to stop monthly salary deduction as it serves no purpose, so every employee must receive monthly salary without pension deduction so that the employee plans his/her life with his/her saved money.
Pensioners are not respected although they have worked for this country for several decades and contributed a lot for this country, because of old age they have no political weight and little respect, even with our African culture where the elderly are respected is not workable in South Sudan. In other countries the pensioners are referred to as senior citizens and are offered special privileges in the processing of the post-benefits is simplified, they do not bother elders that come tomorrow and again come tomorrow as it is the practice today in South Sudan. Those officials mistreating the elders as if tomorrow they will not become elderly. The post-benefit we are talking about is not a free gift, it is the deduction made over several decades with small percentage added from the Government. In some countries the pension fund is invested that means through investment more profits are made so that pensioner get an attractive amount that will make them live a better life. You will be surprised to note a director general grade one or two is paid each month 1500 SSP (one thousand five hundred SSP) with current market this cannot event buy a Kg of meat.
Because of lack of respect for pensioners and difficulties in getting the post-service benefits and even if you get the benefits, it is worthless it would be better the pension scheme is abolished so that the pensioners can manage his salary without any deduction and make your own plan when you retire. Today most civil servants do not hear anything to do with retirement, but it is a necessary scheme of course when you are over 60 years old both your physical and mental capacity is reduced, therefore your contribution becomes less and less. We have thousands of young graduates from universities and vocational training institutions who are seeking for job opportunities, this pension scheme is intended to create employment opportunities for the young graduates but because many elderlies are sticking on the job with little contribution because of the inability of the government to pay the pensioners timely. As such young graduates are forced to do other odd jobs to keep alive, there are graduates that are doing boda-boda, catering in hotels and other odd jobs and some labor-intensive jobs and others are forced to criminality simply because they want to eat and socialize I am sure the deduction in the salary for nearly six decades put in investment this I am sure should have generated a lot of money to improve the monthly payment peanut amount is an insult to the pensioner because this amount is nothing, given the present market I am sure this devil called corruption might be playing the negative game against the retired people. The suspicion is that the pension money might have been diverted, because the poor pensioners are old and have no political weight, many are struggling but, in the process, some died with simple diseases as result of lack of adequate food and nutrition and do not have capacity to access medical care.
The suffering and tears of the pensioners and their families will not be shed for nothing, those who have or responsible for diverting their post-service benefits will one day bear the consequences and will regret for their actions. The wrong doers and their families now swimming in stolen money, are already cursed for inflicting great suffering to the pensioners and their families. The pensioners are not begging or asking for help because it is their legitimate right why victimize the pensioners these are people who have almost reach the peak of their livelihood, why cause suffering to innocent people let us not squeeze life out of them, who can volunteer to help the pensioners get their right and live a decent life.
The author can be reached through e-mail: akimgordon555@yahoo.com