Army veteran group Malaysian Army Veterans Reformation Movement is planning to hold a rally to highlight matters related to veterans' welfare after a letter sent to the defence minister was purportedly ignored.
The group’s chairperson Azizan Salleh said that the Defence Ministry has yet to come out with a plan or initiative which could improve the welfare of army veterans.
"After eight months of being a government, Pakatan Harapan, which was built on the platform of reform idealism, should have made huge changes in the army veterans' organisation and presented a blueprint for the future of the veterans.
"But until now, the veterans are still waiting for a clear direction from the Defence Ministry for the veterans," Azizan said in a press conference near the National Monument in Kuala Lumpur today.
The group's strategic director Zulkifli Osman said that they had sent a letter requesting to meet Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu last month, but it had been snubbed.
"Until now, we have yet to receive any response from the minister regarding the letter," he said.
Following this, the veterans plan to gather on March 11 when Parliament is in session, and submit a memorandum to the defence minister on veterans' welfare.
"We want a veterans act. We want to see clear aspects for the welfare of the veterans which include those who are disabled. We want to know what's the ministry's plan for our children," he said.
Zulkifli explained that the issues which they want to raise include pensions, job opportunities for veterans and their children, as well as accessing loans to start small businesses.
'Everything was gone'
He stressed that the veterans do not benefit from the pension fund managed by the Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT), which they had contributed to when they were in service.
"We should have benefited from LTAT. But when we left (the army), everything was gone. Is this justice?
"Those who left the army found themselves working as taxi drivers and security guards. Most of them are in the B40 (household income) category," he said.
Azizan said that the National Veteran Council should include more rank-and-file members because they know more about the plight of army personnel than high-ranking officers.
"All this while, the welfare of the veterans was not well taken care of by the members who were appointed by the BN government. They did not consider the problems affecting the veterans.
"Will the Harapan government repeat the failure of the previous government?"
Malaysiakini is seeking the Defence Ministry's response to the veterans' claims. -Mkini
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