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KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has taken a swipe at Pakatan Harapan (PH) after DAP deputy secretary-general Nga Kor Ming said the coalition stands with the country’s army veterans.
In a Facebook post this morning, Najib openly labelled PH and its component party DAP as “opportunists” and “instigators” for allegedly taking advantage of the situation where the veterans held a peaceful rally at Tugu Negara yesterday to voice their grouses on the issue of pensions.
The group of veterans also aired their dissatisfaction with the government and accused it of failing to care for retired, non-pensionable and retrenched troops.
“Military veterans only started demanding justice when the country has a failed government?
“DAP and PH are indeed opportunists. Instigators who take advantage (of the situation),” he said.
Previously, Nga uploaded a photo of the assembly and said the veterans are demanding justice when the country has a failed administration.
Najib, who is also Pekan MP, then reminded Nga that the Bantuan Bakti Negara given to veterans was abolished during PH’s administration after the coalition claimed that the country was “bankrupt”.
He questioned PH for not increasing the pension and welfare of veteran soldiers when it was in power.
“The yearly dividends from the Armed Forces Fund Board had depreciated after the 14thGE (general election) compared to the time when I was prime minister,” he said.
Therefore, he urged the government and finance minister to defend the fate of the veterans, as Barisan Nasional did when it governed the country before GE14.
Yesterday, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim urged Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to immediately resolve long-standing issues involving the country’s army veterans.
Following a protest by at least 500 veterans at Tugu Negara, Anwar said the issues raised by the veterans during the rally have also been tabled by Pakatan Harapan leaders in Parliament.
He said the voices of the veterans should not be ignored as they have made sacrifices for the country.
Meanwhile, DAP’s Wong Hon Wai also echoed similar sentiments, calling on the Defence Ministry to take immediate measures to defend the welfare of veterans.
If Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein is reluctant to review the situation, Wong proposed the formation of a cross-party parliamentary committee, which comprises both government and opposition MPs.
“This is to refine issues raised by army veterans and also hear feedback from the armed forces, attorney-general’s office, Public Service Department as well as propose solutions and amendments to the laws that have been mentioned.
“Since the government intends to amend the LTAT Act in the Parliament by the end of this year, the amendments proposed by the cross-party parliamentary committee could also be included in the amendment and tabled in Parliament.” – The Vibes, June 7, 2022
