THE Government should free agencies linked to the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) from political interference if it was sincere on upholding veterans’ right, said a lawmaker.
“Putrajaya must take the recent veterans’ march seriously and address their woes. For starters, we should get rid off political influences at the Veterans’ Affairs Board (PERHEBAT) and Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT).
“We also must enact comprehensive policies that are relevant and practical to protect their welfare, which includes a reform to their pensions scheme,” Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said in a statement.
Yesterday, about 500 army veterans staged a peaceful assembly at the National Monument in the morning.
The group said that they had no choice but to hold a rally as they failed to get their plight addressed especially when it came to pensions, after eight years of trying to use proper channels.
Among the reforms they were demanding was on their pensions scheme. Under the current policy, army personnel must serve a minimum of 21 years to be eligible for monthly pensions.
“We have about 330,000 veterans who had their rights deprived, with about 135,000 not eligible for pension under the current scheme,” Utusan Malaysia reported them as saying.
Following the rally, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim urged the Senior Minister (Defence) Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to not take the matter lightly and address the veterans’ grievances.
Touching on the matter, Nik Nazmi lamented that the Government has failed to address the veterans’ plight for years, despite he himself raising the matter at the Parliament several times before.
Between 2015 and October 2021, he added, the number of military personnel leaving the force without pensions soared from 8,782 to 36,918.
“How many them managed to transition themselves to civilian life successfully? How many of them are now living below the poverty line?” Nik Nazmi queried.
Scandals
Reminiscing the past, the PKR leader said the Government kept appointing politicians to key positions responsible of managing veterans’ affairs.
One example was when Kedah UMNO liaison chief Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom got appointed as PERHEBAT’s chairman in February 2021, an agency tasked to protect veterans’ welfare.
“When he was minister in charge of Islamic affairs, Jamil was accused of being involved in several scandals involving Tabung Haji and the Islamic Economic Development Foundation (Yapeim).
“And how can we forget the RM9 bil Littoral Combat Ship scandal which involved LTAT funds too,” he mentioned.
Nik Nazmi remarked: “LTAT also had to take over the automated enforcement system (AES) for RM555 mil.
“Remember, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) referred it as an ‘indirect bailout by the Government’”. – June 7, 2022
