“Sia” stresses his understanding of those in distress, pointing out problems of insufficient income and overwhelming debt. He insists the government must address root causes rather than pushing insured individuals to draw on future savings in exchange for survival, forcing a choice between "getting through today" or "having enough in old age."
On 15 Nov 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Sia Champathong, a party-list MP from the People’s Party, commented on the proposed Social Security Act, which includes the principle of “Three Requests” (Request to Choose, Request to Return, Request to Borrow) and is preparing to be considered by the House of Representatives soon. Sia said he deeply understands why some insured workers support this bill because, in reality, today's minimum wage does not keep pace with soaring living costs. Many workers carry overwhelming debt burdens; some are unemployed, and many families struggle each month just to get by. Having the opportunity to access their own old-age contribution savings has become a hope for those facing immediate hardship. He deeply empathizes with this feeling and does not blame workers seeking to use these funds.
Mr. Sia added that society and the government must jointly ask why hardworking workers still earn insufficient income to live on, to the extent they feel compelled to use their final retirement savings today. These savings should guarantee security in old age when work is no longer possible. A good quality of life for workers should not come from "using future money now." Instead, the government must improve workers’ living conditions today. Workers deserve fair, adequate wages, stable jobs, comprehensive welfare protections, economic crisis support systems, and reliable social safety nets—without having to trade off old-age security for current survival.
Mr. Sia said the key issue is not simply whether the government will allow insured persons to withdraw funds early—that is a misplaced focus. The real question is whether the government has policies to prevent workers from needing to withdraw these funds and measures to sustain the Social Security Fund's ability to pay pensions sustainably in the future. Allowing withdrawals without fixing income structures, living costs, and fund stability cannot solve the root causes of the hardships people face.
Mr. Sia emphasized that evaluating the “Three Requests” social security bill must go beyond financial status and fund sustainability. It must also assess workers’ quality of life in all dimensions: income level, household debt, living expenses, job security, housing costs, medical expenses, and family care burdens. These interconnected factors pressure workers to seek lump sums to ease immediate problems. If the government narrowly views the issue and fails to understand insured persons’ real conditions, it cannot design truly effective policies to address their hardships.
“Considering this bill requires listening to the voices of insured persons in distress and addressing root causes. It should carefully study both short- and long-term impacts. If the bill proceeds to committee review, it must consider economic relief for insured persons, retirement benefit protections, and fund management reforms toward professionalism, transparency, and long-term stability. Crucially, the government must have concrete policies to solve workers’ income and debt problems, rather than allowing pension withdrawals to become the main answer to workers’ financial struggles without regard for long-term consequences.”
“Today, it seems the Minister of Labor and the government are at a loss on how to help workers, resorting to legislation that lets insured persons choose to use future money. Instead of comprehensively addressing workers’ life challenges and designing effective relief measures to genuinely improve workers’ quality of life throughout their working lives, the government is passing a law forcing workers to choose between surviving today or having money in old age.” .