The maintenance of parents Act and the elderly.

Abstract

As early as 1982, the Singapore government had aiready recognised the problem of an

ageing population. Two Committees were set up to look into the problem and to come up

with some solutions. They were the Howe Committee in 1982 and the Advisory Council

on the Aged in 1988. One of the recommendations of the Howe Committee was the

legislating on the obligation of children to maintain their parents which was rejected by

the Advisory Council on the Aged. Then, in 1994, Associate Professor Walter Woon, a

Nominated MP, tabled the Maintenance of the Parents Bill which was passed in 1995.

Our project will consist of a literature review of the studies and recommendations of the

two committees. We will also be focusing on the provisions of the Act and the issues that

are related to its enactment. Two surveys were conducted with the general public and

some old folks homes, to garner their views and comments with regards to the Act.

There are people who support the Act and others who feel that such a legislation should

not be enacted in a traditional Asian society like Singapore. Whatever it is, the fact

remains that the Act has now been enacted and we can only wait and see how it will be

used in the future.