Rights of senior citizens must be preserved

Senior citizens are without any controversy the most respected mentors of their predecessors currently at the helm of the affairs of state. They are essentially our parents who with utmost care and affection have gradually brought us up and dedicated their whole life to bless us with the brightest career we hold now. Do we pay them back duly in our turn? Of course, they have sacrificed their time, their joys and their hard-earned money not in the hope of getting returns from their wards. Still it is a moral concern undoubtedly whether a borrower will repay the loan taken from a lender or not.

Senior citizens or otherwise the ageing generations of Bangladesh like many countries of the world are not comfortably and securely settled with due honour and respect. The ground reality touchingly stages the ballad of their sufferings and miseries. Though the volume of ageing population yet to ring an alarm bell, the number of elderly people has been slowly but steadily rising over the recent years because of significant increase in the life expectancy rate.

Presently 15% of the population is over the age of 60 years and they are conspicuously some way or the other deprived of their deserved rights barring only a fortunate few. Once we plumb the depth of tnis blatant deprivation, among many other factors the worst one that surfaces first is clearly the attitudinal shift towards the ageing people occuring silently in the psyche of the younger generation. Obviously we have deviated markedly from the bottom line of our traditional code of norms and values. The process of urbanization and automation do surely put a big hand in changing our mindset still then we can hardly get scot-free in discharging our entrusted responsibility towards our dearest parents. In fact, our respected parents are now living polar apart from us even though they are living in the midst of us sharing the same roof and apartment. What a cruel paradox?

Though with the onset of ageing people urgently need intensive routine medical care, special dietary menu, assistance in personal errands etc., the need for affectionately caring touch  of the dearest and closest ones far overshadow all other considerations. The unsung litany of their ballad of deprivation are in addition to our failure to ensure the basic material needs of the old parents we are keeping the respected builders of our career beyond the coverage of our loving touch and affection. Isn’t it our onerous responsibility to pay them back the tenderest care and softest affection with whom they have brought us up when we ourselves were children?

Our budgetary allocation for the ageing people is simply a mockery, even compared to some of the underdeveloped as well as developing countries. For example, while Nepal allocates 0.35% of the GDP for the welfare of the elderly people and Lesetho grants 1% of the GDP for the well-being of the ageing people, Bangladesh spends only 0.14% of the GDP in Ageing People Allowance scheme. I believe it is not clearly our unaffordability that matters here. Rather, it is a practical example of our sheer negligence towards our most respected aged generation. We can afford to purchase fleet of highly expensive luxury cars from the public exchequer whereas in sanctioning public money for our parents’ welfare we evidently exposes our inner poverty and stinginess. This is one facet of the episode. The other one which is even more shockingly disheartening is that a lion share of the ageing welfare allocation does not reach at all the genuinely target group and in many cases undesirable beneficiaries reap the benefits.

Time and again our ethical barrenness frustrates all our lofty schemes and sublime wishes leaving us in the unfathomable morass of guidelessness and indirection. Given this absolutely negative ground reality, it is still possible to ensure a little bit better environment in terms of material well-being for our venerated elderly generation once we strictly plug the loopholes of the existing monitoring process showing zero tolerance towards any deviations and setting aside all partisan considerations. Now the question still remains to be answered by us. Who will bell the cat?

With the ageing process, people do not automatically become invalid and frail. It is true that aged people are physically weak and shaky still then their experience, expertise, acumen gained over the years are unquestionably the invaluable treasure trove for the whole nation. Definitely, these intangible assets help contributing to run an extra mileage on the fast-track of development. We must uncontroversially agree to the point that our present achievements stand on the solid foundations of legacy and heritage danded down to us from our older generations. We will inevitably be faced with an identity crisis once we deny the invaluable contributions inherited from our forefathers. It is an absolute truth and has to be upheld at any cost. Again, after formal retirement many aged people keep working actively even more actively than the younger ones. Their valuable suggestions and guidelines give us a way out in time of our need.

 Among the most developed countries of the world, Japan and Italy stand out as the topmost countries of aged people. 26.3% of the total population of Japan are aged while 21.4% of the total population of Italy happen to be aged. With this overwhelming number of aged people, they happen to be in the list of the most developed nations of the globe. It is clear from a number of statistics that the elderly generations of these countries have been actively contributing their due part in the onward development efforts of their respective nations. However, like ours in Bangladesh, the older generations of the mentioned conutries have been suffering and languishing in silence only in the absence of protective care and affection from their dearest ones. These two countries are obviously over-affluent countries in terms of material prosperity and the older people there enjoy the optimum material facilities and amenities. But they are virtually not happy for the lack of the softest human touch.

The thagedy of the ageing generations in Bangladesh is that they are now suffering from two counts-unfulfilment of their basic material human needs and the scantiest emotional support from their dearest ones. The overwhelming majority of the ageing people are unfortunately deprived of getting even any financial support from their wards let alone the warmest touch of love and care. Moreover, the whole society is treating them as if they were the burdens of the society. This is obviously a very negative manifestation and we have to withstand this alien trend right now through  a concerted social campaigning. In addition, it has to be made constitutionally mandatory for each and every eligible sons and daughters to provide required financial support as well as necessary care and protection to their parents. Any complaint of negligence and maltreatment towards the parents has to be dealt with zero tolerance.    

The writer, Assistant Professor of English, Bogra Cantonment Public School & College, is a contributor to The Independent.

E-mail:[email protected]

 

Rights of senior citizens must be preserved

Senior citizens are without any controversy the most respected mentors of their predecessors currently at the helm of the affairs of state. They are essentially our parents who with utmost care and affection have gradually brought us up and dedicated their whole life to bless us with the brightest career we hold now. Do we pay them back duly in our turn? Of course, they have sacrificed their time, their joys and their hard-earned money not in the hope of getting returns from their wards. Still it is a moral concern undoubtedly whether a borrower will repay the loan taken from a lender or not. Senior citizens or otherwise the ageing generations of Bangladesh like many countries of the world are not comfortably and securely settled with due honour and respect. The ground reality touchingly stages the ballad of their sufferings and miseries. Though the volume of ageing population yet to ring an alarm bell, the number of elderly people has been slowly but steadily rising over the recent years because of significant increase in the life expectancy rate. Presently 15% of the population is over the age of 60 years and they are conspicuously some way or the other deprived of their deserved rights barring only a fortunate few. Once we plumb the depth of tnis blatant deprivation, among many other factors the worst one that surfaces first is clearly the attitudinal shift towards the ageing people occuring silently in the psyche of the younger generation. Obviously we have deviated markedly from the bottom line of our traditional code of norms and values. The process of urbanization and automation do surely put a big hand in changing our mindset still then we can hardly get scot-free in discharging our entrusted responsibility towards our dearest parents. In fact, our respected parents are now living polar apart from us even though they are living in the midst of us sharing the same roof and apartment. What a cruel paradox? Though with the onset of ageing people urgently need intensive routine medical care, special dietary menu, assistance in personal errands etc., the need for affectionately caring touch of the dearest and closest ones far overshadow all other considerations. The unsung litany of their ballad of deprivation are in addition to our failure to ensure the basic material needs of the old parents we are keeping the respected builders of our career beyond the coverage of our loving touch and affection. Isnt it our onerous responsibility to pay them back the tenderest care and softest affection with whom they have brought us up when we ourselves were children? Our budgetary allocation for the ageing people is simply a mockery, even compared to some of the underdeveloped as well as developing countries. For example, while Nepal allocates 0.35% of the GDP for the welfare of the elderly people and Lesetho grants 1% of the GDP for the well-being of the ageing people, Bangladesh spends only 0.14% of the GDP in Ageing People Allowance scheme. I believe it is not clearly our unaffordability that matters here. Rather, it is a practical example of our sheer negligence towards our most respected aged generation. We can afford to purchase fleet of highly expensive luxury cars from the public exchequer whereas in sanctioning public money for our parents welfare we evidently exposes our inner poverty and stinginess. This is one facet of the episode. The other one which is even more shockingly disheartening is that a lion share of the ageing welfare allocation does not reach at all the genuinely target group and in many cases undesirable beneficiaries reap the benefits. Time and again our ethical barrenness frustrates all our lofty schemes and sublime wishes leaving us in the unfathomable morass of guidelessness and indirection. Given this absolutely negative ground reality, it is still possible to ensure a little bit better environment in terms of material well-being for our venerated elderly generation once we strictly plug the loopholes of the existing monitoring process showing zero tolerance towards any deviations and setting aside all partisan considerations. Now the question still remains to be answered by us. Who will bell the cat? With the ageing process, people do not automatically become invalid and frail. It is true that aged people are physically weak and shaky still then their experience, expertise, acumen gained over the years are unquestionably the invaluable treasure trove for the whole nation. Definitely, these intangible assets help contributing to run an extra mileage on the fast-track of development. We must uncontroversially agree to the point that our present achievements stand on the solid foundations of legacy and heritage danded down to us from our older generations. We will inevitably be faced with an identity crisis once we deny the invaluable contributions inherited from our forefathers. It is an absolute truth and has to be upheld at any cost. Again, after formal retirement many aged people keep working actively even more actively than the younger ones. Their valuable suggestions and guidelines give us a way out in time of our need. Among the most developed countries of the world, Japan and Italy stand out as the topmost countries of aged people. 26.3% of the total population of Japan are aged while 21.4% of the total population of Italy happen to be aged. With this overwhelming number of aged people, they happen to be in the list of the most developed nations of the globe. It is clear from a number of statistics that the elderly generations of these countries have been actively contributing their due part in the onward development efforts of their respective nations. However, like ours in Bangladesh, the older generations of the mentioned conutries have been suffering and languishing in silence only in the absence of protective care and affection from their dearest ones. These two countries are obviously over-affluent countries in terms of material prosperity and the older people there enjoy the optimum material facilities and amenities. But they are virtually not happy for the lack of the softest human touch. The thagedy of the ageing generations in Bangladesh is that they are now suffering from two counts-unfulfilment of their basic material human needs and the scantiest emotional support from their dearest ones. The overwhelming majority of the ageing people are unfortunately deprived of getting even any financial support from their wards let alone the warmest touch of love and care. Moreover, the whole society is treating them as if they were the burdens of the society. This is obviously a very negative manifestation and we have to withstand this alien trend right now through a concerted social campaigning. In addition, it has to be made constitutionally mandatory for each and every eligible sons and daughters to provide required financial support as well as necessary care and protection to their parents. Any complaint of negligence and maltreatment towards the parents has to be dealt with zero tolerance. The writer, Assistant Professor of English, Bogra Cantonment Public School College, is a contributor to The Independent. E-mail:[email protected]