The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.
– Douglas MacArthur, US military leader
Malaysians in general have a lot of misgivings about the state of the nation today. We are in a mess politically, economically and socially.
There is political instability, many lost their businesses and jobs and poverty is on the rise. Things have gotten so bad that many have lost trust in the political leadership, lost confidence in the country, and even lost faith in themselves.
Yet, despite these uncertainties, disenchantment and unhappiness, Malaysia is still blessed in other ways. For one, we are a nation at peace while wars rage on in other corners of the world, causing untold misery and suffering and senseless loss of lives.
Malaysia is among the top 25 Most Peaceful Country, currently ranked 20th in the 2020 Global Peace Index by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
That should put a smile on our faces, amidst the gloom that has surrounded us for the past few years.
When a country is at peace, do we still need an army? That has been repeatedly posed and the answer is yes.
Every sovereign nation has an army and Malaysia is no exception. It is about protecting the sovereignty of a country besides offering security within its territory when there are no given external threats.
Then again, only God knows when we have to face a serious threat from outside or when we may have to partake in a warfare forced upon us.
According to a Dec 2021 statistics, the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) have approximately 115,000 active-duty troops with another 50,000 in reserve.
I believe that Malaysians have no complaint about the state of our defence forces today and we are actually happy that there are gallant men and women at hand to defend our country and protect Malaysians from all forms of threats.
This may be peacetime but we know that our soldiers have been on border patrols, guiding our porous borders which include the endless sea lines of the Malayan peninsula as well as the Borneo territorial waters of Sabah and Sarawak.
Then, during natural calamities like landslides, heavy floods, tremors, major fires and even collapse of buildings, our soldiers were always on hand to help out.
The COVID-19 pandemic also saw our armed forces personnel playing a major role in crowd control and providing security. The presence of the soldiers, and policemen too, gave a sense of confidence to the people at large that they are guarded and protected from any untoward situations.
A civilian like me will never be able to understand what a life in the military is like. But what I do know and appreciate to the fullest is the courage and bravery of the men and women who are prepared to risk their lives in the frontlines when called upon to.
They wore the uniform of the MAF with great pride and honour. Today, I join many Malaysians in saluting our gallant, courageous men and women of honour and dignity.
I would go a step further by joining the appeals of the veteran associations to the government to consider some issues raised by the military veterans, especially on pension issues.
This week, my attention was drawn to two stories I’ve read in the media.
On Oct 2, the plight of Nor Ibrahim Sulaiman, a former Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) helicopter pilot, who retired as a major in 1992, came to light.
Despite 25 years of service, Nor Ibrahim is getting a pension of only RM2,682, a figure that places him in B40 category.
Nor Ibrahim, who spent years fighting the communist terrorists in the 1970s and 1980s, and having his Nuri helicopter fired upon, is thus now officially in the “hardcore poor” category.
This is a case which the Defence Ministry should take a serious look into and rectify immediately. Veterans are elderly people. Please ensure that they have enough to live out their sunset years in a decent and respectable manner.
On Aug 1, the Rangers Corps Veterans Association (PVTKR) president Lt Col (Rtd) Mohd Melintang Abdullah said the issue of pension rate gap, allowances for the National Service Medal (PJN) and other hotly debated issues were all yesterday’s news.
“We acknowledge that our veterans are receiving assistance but we appeal to the government to consider the approval of equal pension, PJN allowance and to improve other assistance that are worth their sacrifices and services,” he said in a statement.
“We can never thank the warriors and veterans enough. They have sacrificed, served and perished in defending the country’s sovereignty and security.
“The peace, tranquillity and the well-being of the country we now enjoy enable us to complete our daily work and to sleep without fear, is the result of their sacrifice and service.
“Their service to the country is irreplaceable,” Mohd Melintang added.
Yes, sir. Let me drink to that with much pride and joy. Cheers to our military veterans.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
