PVATM asks govt to consider continuing PKKP scheme in Budget 2024

KUALA LUMPUR - The Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans Association (PVATM) is asking the government to consider continuing the Penghargaan Khas Kepada Pesara (PKKP) special aid in Budget 2024 to be tabled in Parliament on Oct 13.

Its president, Kapt (Rtd) Datuk Sharuddin Omar said that if the government does not continue with the PKKP, they (pensioners) will suddenly lose 20 per cent or get less of their monthly pension.

"Even though on June 28, the Federal Court ruled that the annual pension increase of two per cent is against the Constitution (Federal Constitution), yet the government continues to provide such benefits in the form of the PKKP scheme from July to December this year.

"If the PKKP scheme is not continued in January 2024, it will affect the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) veterans and all government retires,” he told reporters at Wisma Pahlawan here, yesterday.

Apart from this, Sharuddin hopes the government will implement the pension adjustment for ATM veterans who retired before Jan 1, 2013 in Budget 2024.

Sharuddin said not all ATM retires are demanding the pension adjustment.

"The number of veterans involved in the pension adjustment is 78,546 out of a total of 134,682 ATM retirees.

"If we base it on the monthly pension amount received without other sources of income, a total of 73,339 veterans are in the B40 category," he also said.

He added that if improvement measures are not made, then the situation will be prolonged.

In August, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan was reported to have said that he hoped the pension adjustment for ATM veterans could be implemented next year.

Following that, the ministry sent a proposal paper on the matter for the attention of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the parties involved. - BERNAMA