BAGAN DATUK, March 31 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has announced an increase in allowances for other ranks of the Territorial Army members from RM6 to RM8 per hour while allowances for officers have been increased from RM7.80 to RM9.80 per hour.

He said the raise in the allowances was to appreciate the deeds and loyalty of Territorial Army personnel and officers throughout the country as the second line of defence in national security.

“I announce on behalf of the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) and the Defence Minister (Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein) that the allowances have been officially increased.

“The allowance is paid from the day the Prime Minister announced the increase in the allowance for Rela (People’s Volunteer Force) (on March 10), meaning that any personnel on duty earlier should be paid in full according to the allowance given,” he said.

He disclosed this when speaking at the launch of the Territorial Army Wave for the Central Zone (Gelombang Askar Wataniah Zon Tengah) at the Sekolah Menengah Sains Bagan Datuk, here today which was also attended by Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Johari Baharum, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and Deputy Army Chief Datuk Seri Panglima Ahmad Hasbullah Mohd Nawawi.

With regard to the Hutan Melintang military camp, Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bagan Datuk, described that those claiming the construction of the camp was aimed at assisting the Barisan Nasional (BN) government to take over Hutan Melintang and increase the votes for the Bagan Datuk Parliamentary constituency was naive.

“They are in fact naive, they don’t know it (the construction) was a strategy of the Defence Ministry because the nearest camp is in Sungai Besi and Subang while in the north, it is the Royal Malaysian Navy Base in Lumut, while there is nothing in the centre.

“In terms of geostrategy, Bagan Datuk must have a military camp, it is to translate the defence strategy of the ATM (Malaysian Armed Forces),” he said adding that the camp was 50 per cent ready.

He said the construction of the camp had nothing to do with the 13th General election (GE13) or GE14, on the contrary, it was built when he was the Defence Minister with the cooperation of Sime Darby and approval of the state government. — Bernama