Pensioners in Penang have asked the government to consider paying them a bonus similar to that given out to civil servants last month.

An official from the Society of Active Generation of Elders (Sage) in Penang told malaysiakini today that its members are disappointed that they were not given bonus last month as many of them are living below poverty line.

Sage president Chin Sek Ham said that while the Finance Ministry is generous enough to allocate bonus for civil servants for the year just ended, pensioners seemed to have been deliberately left out.

"We are urging the government to reconsider this bonus issue for pensioners. We have slogged our life in the civil service and the least the government can do is give us a token sum," said Chin.

"We were told that the budget this year would be a caring and painless one, but why are the pensioners left out?" he added.

Last November, the Finance Ministry confirmed that 800,000 civil servants are to receive bonus amounting to their half month's basic salary or a minimum of RM500.

Chin, registering the complaint on behalf of 1,700 senior citizens of Penang, said that in the past pensioners have been given bonuses amounting to half or one-fifth of their pension.

This token, he said, would at least help pensioners ease their financial burden at the end of the year.

He added that while some had children who could take care of their financial woes, many others were not as lucky as their children were also struggling due to the economic downturn since 1997.

Living in poverty

Chin reported that eight percent of the Malaysian population are made up of senior citizens and about 60 percent are living below poverty line.

"Prices of goods have spiraled, petrol price has gone up, medical fees are expensive and retirees are suffering," he said, adding that recently there was a hike in stamp duty for insurance, from RM2 to RM10.

He added that when announcement to award bonuses to civil servants was made, with one newspaper daily reporting that pensioners were also included, everyone was delighted.

However, the announcement was retracted and the paper later apologised for mentioning that pensioners would be receiving the bonus.

"It is wrong to give us such hope and then disappoint us," Chin said.

He added that usually the Public Services Department would inform them about the bonus plan before the year is out. However, this year, pensioners were left in the dark about the matter.

A PSD official confirmed that pensioners will not be receiving bonus for the year 2000.