PADANG BESAR, March 11 ― The Non-Pensionable Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans Association (PVATTBM) has urged the government to reintroduce the Haj quota for military veterans.

Its president Datuk Ismail Abidin said during the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration, military veterans were given a quota of 400 places a year to perform Haj pilgrimage while poor veterans were given assistance to build or repair their homes.

“It has been two years since the facility was stopped with more military veterans are getting older and unable to perform the Haj despite having enough money to travel to the Holy Land.

“The same goes for military veterans living in dilapidated homes who received assistance from the BN government prior, but now they are left to fend for themselves,” he told Bernama here today.

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He also expressed hope that the new Defence Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakub could give due attention to the matter.

Ismail said this as he welcomed the appointment of Ismail Sabri as Defence Minister as announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He also hoped the new minister would review the Armed Forces Act, which involved the dismissal of military personnel due to disciplinary issue which resulted in them not accorded with any benefit despite the fact that they had given great services to the country prior. ― Bernama

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