Veterans' plight: Anwar urges defence minister to act quickly
This comes after some 1,500 former members of the Armed Forces and pensioners held a peaceful demonstration at the National Monument in Kuala Lumpur this morning, claiming that their complaints had fallen on deaf ears.
“I took note of the peaceful assembly by...
Opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim has urged the defence minister to look into the plight of military veterans, who want the government to revise its pension policy and address several other issues involving their welfare.
This comes after some 1,500 former members of the Armed Forces and pensioners held a peaceful demonstration at the National Monument in Kuala Lumpur this morning, claiming that their complaints had fallen on deaf ears.
“I took note of the peaceful assembly by the Armed Forces veterans at the National Monument earlier today. It was clear that these veterans were left with no other option to fight for their rights and other issues they face, after they could not get the attention of the Defence Ministry.
“My partners in Pakatan Harapan and I had taken these issues to the Parliament several times before this, and today I would like to again urge the defence minister to take immediate action regarding this matter.
“Do not neglect the voice of our Armed Forces veterans, who have made a lot of sacrifices for our nation,” he said in a statement.
This morning, military retirees from across the three branches of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy and Air Force) gathered at the National Monument demanding that the government address issues faced by the veterans.
They want Putrajaya to increase the pension rate for pre-2013 pensioners and also give pensions to those who served the armed forces for fewer than 21 years, among others.
According to the rally organising committee deputy chairperson Mior Rosli Mior Jaafar, there are more than 300,000 military veterans today and most of them are in the B40 low-income group.
Mior Rosli, who is a former Air Force commando and retired with the rank Major, told reporters that he had tried to get the Defence Ministry’s attention on the issues for the past eight years but to no avail.
These include meeting with the various defence ministers during past and present administrations, such as Hishammuddin Hussein, Pakatan Harapan’s Mohamad Sabu, and Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is the current prime minister.
“All of them gave me the same answer: ‘we will study the issues’,” Mior Rosli said in a press conference held at the end of today’s rally.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.