Kuala Lampur, May 22 -- Recently, the Law and Institutional Reform Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said raised the proposal to revise Malaysia's retirement age to 65. She believes that many older Malaysians are still active and capable of contributing meaningfully to the labour market. But is this the right response to Malaysia's ageing population? Will it strengthen our economy or create new challenges? We must consider this carefully. The demographic shift is clear: globally, the number of older people is growing faster than the number of births. Malaysia is no exception. This trend has a direct impact on our productive population.

According to the United Nations, a country is considered an ageing nation when 7 per cent of its popul...