Singapore’s Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva has criticised the contents of a press release by the OHCHR, saying it “failed to accurately reflect the rich and extensive exchange of views between Kornfeld-Matte and Singapore officials”.
It follows a remark by UN human rights expert Rosa Kornfeld-Matte on Tuesday that life remains a struggle for many old Singaporeans.
“While I understand that many of the new programmes and policies to address the challenges faced by older persons will need more time to bear fruit, the reality on the ground indicates that life remains a struggle for many old Singaporeans,” Kornfeld-Matte said in a statement released by the OHCHR.
According to a report in CNA, Kornfeld-Matte visited Singapore from Sep 21 to 29 at the invitation of the Singapore Government.
In the OHCHR statement, Kornfeld-Matte approved of the Singapore Government’s “efforts and commitment to ensure that older persons fully enjoy their human rights”.
However, she said, she was “puzzled to learn that in a country with the third highest GDP per capita in the world, many older persons with low income continue to depend on their social network for a significant portion of their livelihood and that many of those who lack such support systems face financial hardship”.
The CNA report said, expressing concern at reports about elder abuse, she suggested that Singapore implement “laws and policies grounded in a human rights-based approach”.
“Further measures and independent mechanisms are urgently required to ensure that any form of violence against and abuse of older persons, including financial abuse, is detected and reported,” she said.
“Efforts to upgrade the care system and social policy need to continue in order to put in place the necessary infrastructure, programmes and schemes to address the new demographic reality and the human rights concerns of an increased number of older persons,” she added.
According to the CNA report, she welcomed Singapore’s efforts to pioneer new models of care.
Responding to the OHCHR statement on Tuesday, the Singapore Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva said the press release “failed to accurately reflect the rich and extensive exchange of views between Kornfeld-Matte and Singapore officials”.
In a letter addressed to the chief of the OHCHR Special Procedures Branch Beatriz Balbin-Chamorro, the Singapore Mission said it was unfortunate that the OHCHR had “given an incomplete and inaccurate picture of the situation in Singapore, instead of trying to present a balanced statement that more accurately reflects the depth and substance of our discussions with Kornfeld-Matte,” according to the CNA report.
“We explained to her in detail the government’s policies to strengthen social safety nets for the elderly,” the letter said. “Schemes such as Workfare, the Silver Support Scheme and ComCare Fund, as well as subsidies for essential services like healthcare, housing, and transport are concrete policies that have already been implemented. The Government’s plans to introduce the Vulnerable Adults Act will strengthen the existing legal framework and better protect the rights of older persons.”
The Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) had said in a press release issued last Thursday that the UN expert was briefed on Singapore’s Action Plan for Successful Ageing, in areas including health and wellness, learning, employment, retirement adequacy, housing, transport, and protection for vulnerable seniors.
According to the CNA report, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said Kornfeld-Matte commented positively on several aspects of Singapore’s policies towards the elderly, including its whole-of government approach and its investment in research on ageing.