Be fair to former army men, Defence ministry told

Harakahdaily

Nov 24: A PAS member of parliament has ticked off the Defence ministry saying it has neglected the welfare of ex-army officers who served less than 21 years. Padang Terap MP Nazir Zakaria was referring in parliament the present pension scheme which only pays to those ex-army officers who were in service for at least 21 years. “For the sake of fairness, those served for not more than 21 years should be given pension as they have also sacrificed for the country,” he said.Nazir said ex-army officers who ended their service after 2001 were also given unfair pension compared to those who retired before 2001. “Army officers who served for 21 years and retired after 2001 have received higher pension than those who retired before 2001. This is clearly unfair and victimises those who retired prior to 2001,” he said. As such, Nazir proposed that the pension scheme should be realigned. Debating the Defence ministry’s Supplies Bill 2012, Nazir stressed that it was unfair that only higher officials of the army were eligible for contribution to the Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT). The fund, launched by then Defence minister Najib Razak in 1991, allows army officials to contribute 10 percent of their salary for share purchases. “Unfortunately, this is not offered to other army officers of lower ranks. I hope others will be given a chance by Defence ministry to participate in the fund,” he added.