After years of putting their lives on the line to protect their King and country, thousands of soldiers end up facing the grim reality of not having much to their names outside of the Armed Forces, claimed a newly-formed NGO.

The Malaysian Ex-Servicemen’s Welfare Network (Kerabat) secretariat claimed that nearly 75 percent of current and former soldiers are faced with financial problems and emotional stress as they grapple with a hazy future after years of serving the nation.

Kerabat president Lt-Col (Rtd) Mohd Nazari Mokhtar said that a large number of servicemen are allegedly left facing dead ends upon retirement, having to rely on the goodwill of their relatives simply to get by in life.

He claimed further that the monthly extra salary payments doled out to soldiers under the Lain-Lain Pangkat (LLP, Rank and File) category do not reflect the severity of their work, what more in the face of rising costs of basic necessities.

Ngo tentera bagi memorandum kpd pakatan rakyat “This piecemeal welfare has made them suffer for nearly their entire career, especially the rank and file who are constantly assigned to isolated localities near the borders which are bereft of infrastructure,” Nazari said at Kerabat’s first-ever official function in Serdang Jaya last night.

Nazari, who said he had served 28 years in the Royal Malaysian Air Force, stressed that under the Armed Forces Council Order (PMAT) issued on Aug 29, 1973, each and every soldier and his spouse are promised the right to apply for 20 acres of agricultural land and two lots of housing from the government through the Defence Ministry.

However, he claimed that less than 100 members of the Armed Forces have successfully secured land rights as detailed in the order, based on the “dismal” records of the Defence Ministry’s members’ service division.

‘Promises remain promises’

And with their work constantly taking them away to the border and the sticky bureaucracy of local land offices, nearly 150,000 soldiers have ended up losing what had been promised to them, he added.

“This is a violation of their basic right to secure housing and agricultural land, as enshrined in the relevant Act and which had been approved by the cabinet.”

Ngo tentera bagi memorandum kpd pakatan rakyat Nazari, who is also PAS Tenggara deputy chief, said efforts by Armed Forces veterans to raise these issues have ended up hitting a brick wall, claiming that many officers and rank and file cannot wait to end their tenure of service to have a life “free of stress, the threat of court martial and a colonialist culture” that is practiced in the Armed Forces.

With nowhere else to turn, Kerabat decided to place their hopes on Pakatan Rakyat to fulfil the NGO’s eight-point memorandum - with the expectation that the opposition coalition will make good its word to implement the changes within 100 days should it take over Putrajaya.

Kerabat, formed last July and claiming some 2,900 members to date, presented its memorandum to Pakatan Rakyat during the event - received on behalf of the coalition by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

The demands in the memorandum were:

  • For Kerabat to be recognised by both the federal and state governments, with an advisory role on welfare of Armed Forces veterans and their dependents,
  • To take over and update the policies and management of the Armed Forces Trust Fund (LTAT) and Syarikat Perumahan Angkatan Tentera (SPAT),
  • Give priority to the welfare of soldiers, veterans, military widows and orphans, especially in ownership of Felda Plantations land and Rumah Mesra Rakyat properties,
  • Provide free life-long learning to soldiers, their widows and dependants,
  • Provide 50 percent lifelong rebate for electricity and water bills at every current and former serviceman’s residence,
  • Streamline an increase in monthly salary and pension of RM500 for all current and former servicemen, on top of a special monthly stipend of RM500 for ex-servicemen without pension,
  • For all current and retired servicemen to be exempted from income tax, and
  • Provide special funds and a masterplan for a veterans' township, complete with adequate combat training infrastructure to allow ex-servicemen to maintain their skills and expertise.