Visa Vie

I was originally going to entitle this Age Matters until I read this interview with David Attenborough who turns 80 in May.

For 50 years Attenborough has been effortlessly persuading people to shelve their troubles and linger instead on the mating ritual of the giant mayfly or the gay social whirl of the naked mole rat. So soothing is his delivery, so reassuring his manner, that last month he came top of a Readers Digest poll of the most trusted people in Britain.

Non-Brits who have access to the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet will know his voice at the very least.

He was asked if he had another 80 years, would he exhaust his interest? "Oh, not in another 800 years! Because there are always new people - people growing up all the time who've never seen a duck-billed platypus."

It's great that he doesn't need the benefit of the new anti-aging drugs which, scientists suggest, could lead to the raising of the male retirement age in Britain to 85 by the year 2050.

Still, who needs drugs eh? As my granddad used to say, it's keeping going that keeps you going.

So, what are these strange rumours beginning to circulate among expats here that there are new rules emanating from the Immigration Department which decree that work permits ~ which all other visas are dependent on ~ will not be issued to those over 60 years old?

At the moment, according to my sources, this seems to be a policy confined to expats working in education. Jakartass would be interested to hear if workers in other sectors are affected.

What worries my social circle is that we have made a commitment to Indonesia. In removing the legal right for us to earn and spend rupiah and thus support our Indonesian families, the Immigration Department is pre-empting whatever provisions are being made in the Nationality Act currently being deliberated in the House of Representatives.

If this policy really does exist, then one must ask on what legal basis the particular regulation was enacted, and why hasn't it been 'socialised'?.

Most of us think that this yet another cynical ploy to extort extra fees from supposedly rich bules.

Is it?
 

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¶ 3:43 pm