The Defence Ministry paid out a sum of RM12 million in pensions – to dead army veterans over a period of three years – because there was no collaboration among all parties involved in this area.

Therefore, says the Veterans Association of the Malaysian Armed Forces (PV-ATM), there should be collaboration among the various parties concerned to ensure that such instances do not occur again.

PV-ATM named these parties as the Veteran Affairs Department (JHEV), the National Registration Department (NRD) and PV-ATM itself.

PV-ATM secretary-general Tajul Ariffin Chu Johari said the Defence Ministry should issue a directive to the JHEV to collaborate with the NRD and Veterans Association whenever a death of a military personnel occurs.

“This is because the association is among the first to know whenever a member has died,” Tajul Ariffin said, adding that this is also to make it easier for the JHEV to know whenever an army veteran has died.

According to the Auditor-General's Report 2013, the JHEV paid out RM11.94 million in pension to 3,786 veterans who had died between 2011 and 2013.

Upon realising the mistake, the department moved to recover the money, but has thus far only managed to get back RM1.69 million or 14.2 percent.

Tajul Ariffin said the blunder should not have occurred, since JHEV also provides burial aid to the next-of-kin of deceased army veterans.

“That’s why I suspect that the division handling the pensions does not collaborate with the division in charge of providing burial aid.

“For every army veteran who has died, their families will receive a burial aid of RM3,000 from the JHEV.

“By right, the division that handles the giving of burial aid should inform the pensions division,” Tajul Ariffin added.


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