Chilima promises to start benefits pay for the eldery: To increase retirement age to 65
State vice-president Saulos Chilima has said he will introduce a welfare benefit scheme or the state old-age pension scheme for all Malawians aged 65 years and above once he becomes the country’s president under the banner of United Transformation Movement (UTM).
Chilima made the pledge on Friday during his Imbizo-style whistle-stop meetings in Lilongwe that took him to Ngwangwa, Chidalanda, Kafutwe and Nambuma Trading Centers where he engaged with the public in chats and question time as he responded to people’s probing questions .
The UTM leader said many older people are living pathetic lives with costs of goods and other expenses are rocketing and promised that his administration will ensure they supplement their income with a government old age grant.
He said scheme would cater for every person regardless of whether they were employed or not but will be subjected to means testing as other eldery are cash rish to get benefits pay.
Chilima also disclosed that his administration witll increase retirement age from 60 to 65 years in order to ensure that people fully contribute to the country’s development.
“We need to raise the retirement age from 60 to 65 years. We need to put everyone over 65 years of age on pension,” said Chilima.
The UTM leader said there’s already money for the initiatives“ within government” and he knew he would get it within the country.
Chilima said other countries such as Lesotho, Mexico, Botswana, South Africa are doing the old-age scheme, challenging “even if it was not being done in other countries we would still do it.”
Acooring to the Global Age Watch Index , which measures crucial aspects of well-being of the elderly, including income security, health status, capability and environment , Malawi is the worst place to grow old.
Among others, the Vice-President has already pledged to create one million jobs, abolish the quota system of selecting students into public universities, end presidential immunity from prosecution while in office, increase teachers’ salaries and make Parliament the appointing authority of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general and other important positions, in the first year if elected president in the 2019 Tripartite Elections.
So at 65yrs uli phepheru pheru you will get 40% of your Pension.Kenako kumwalira basi 60 % yako Boma kugawira anthu ati atoyambira gain.Koma ndie akuyikochatu .Why not Make people get 60% of their pension at 60 kaya amangira nyumba ndie kuti alemba anzao ntchito,Khaya adyera kanyenya ndie kuti wa Chiwaya zake zitoyenda.Chaka chino titomva zambiri.
Every time he stands on a podium and opens his mouth Chilima shows that he is childish, inexperienced and incompetent.
After rebuking old people and calling them names saying that they are too old to be working, Chilima wants to increase the retirement age. UTM hsas seen that votes from young people are not adding up.
Do you remember the manifesto you told the pple when u were in DPP in 2014? You said you will normalise the civil servants pay with those of the parastatals. Did it work NO!
You waited for 4 yes to tell us that the party is full of thieves. Do u think we can believe you? NO
Why is it that 90% of your inner circles are Catholics? Do you think pple doesn’t know that its the Catholic Church that is drumming your support?
My simple advice, Politics should not be mixed with religion.
This is contradiction at its best. The man who does not want to see old people working now wants to see old people stick to their offices. Childish thinking!!! It’s true the presidency is not for babies.
Chilima has been exposed for a dunderhead that he is.
Here is where people demonstrate their shallow thinking. Do you really think increase the age for state pension will affect you employment? What is the cause of unemployment now when the retirement age is at 60? Chilima has told you that he will create new jobs. he has not said youths will fill the jobs of those who have retired.
I wish we had more brainy like yourself. Unfortunately we’ve got majority thick without common sense.
Can’t agree with you more.
Well, let him create the new jobs first, before he starts to raise the retirement age. The cry among Malawians is lack of jobs. Let him focus on that because so far his strategy is shady and not convincing. Mapanga awiri abvumbwitsa. Pick your priorities strategically and demonstrate results!
Shaaah, tikamati akuluwa akungolubwalubwa inu mumatsutsa, nanga si izii?
Increasing retirement age to 65 is the worst evil and an insult to the youthful Malawian population……
Other countries hv higher retirement age becoz their demographics are dominated by the old people…
This is one way of milking the civil servants of their gains so that when they die u eat their monies
This is great. I must also point out that job creation and revising retirement age upwards are two different concepts. To a leader who is visionary, strategic and transformative, job creation is possible, Taiwan, Israel, Singapore are good examples. In Malawi, the problem number one is leadership which lacks vision, patriotism and willingness to transform the country. In most cases their policies and development agendas are cosmetic just to score political mileage for example the FISP, malata subsidy program etc .
Chilimas strategy for creating jobs is not convincing and full of loopholes. He should focus on improving that strategy before picking up another controversial issue. Nobody in Malawi complained about retirement age being too low. Drop this retirement age issue and focus on job creation #Friendly advice