[Watch] “If They Can’t Take Care Of Us, Step Down” Veterans Rallied At Tugu Negara Urging For Pension Review
Without naming anyone, the group urged the Cabinet member who is in charge of the veterans to quit if he doesn’t want to take care of their welfare.
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Hundreds of army veterans rallied in front of the Tugu Negara (National Monument) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday demanding a review of the armed forces’ pension scheme.
The group said that some veterans still receive the old pension rate despite the revisions made to the scheme in 2007.
The army veterans also lamented the decision to revise the army’s personnel salary which saw an increment of 60% in 2013 while the veteran’s pension was only increased by 2%.
According to the group, most retired army personnel ranked Lieutenant Colonel and below are currently in the B40 group.
During the rally, the group also called for the government to grant pensions to those who served in the army for less than 21 years and for those that were dismissed for disciplinary misconduct to be granted amnesty.
“Discipline is very important in the military and I’m not saying people who committed wrongdoings can’t be punished but until now these people have had no chance to ask for forgiveness,” the rally organising committee deputy chairman Major (R) Mior Rosli Mior Mohd Jaafar was quoted as saying by Harian Metro.
Mior Rosli added that those who were dismissed for disciplinary misconduct lose their veteran privilege and rights to receive a pension, as stated in the Army Veteran Act 2002.
He said that there are those who were dismissed a year prior to their retirement while some are dismissed on offences that do not merit a discharge or dismissal in other public services.
Despite not naming anybody, the group urged the minister in charge of the veterans to quit if he doesn’t want to take care of the veteran’s welfare.
“Kalau menteri pertahanan tak nak menjaga kita (veteran) letak jawatan” pic.twitter.com/8Tt00bzlpJ
— zareen (@ZareenH_s) June 6, 2022
Meanwhile, the rally’s chairman, Commander (R) Datuk Abdul Rahman Hussin said, the movement has so far managed to gather a total of 12,800 members and will be registered as an association within a month.
“The association is established to fight for and improve the socio-economic status of ATM veterans and will be focused on the food industry,” he said.
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