PETALING JAYA: Utilising the expertise of armed forces veterans in government-linked companies will be better than the announced measures under Budget 2024, says Brig-Jen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji.
The National Patriots Association (Patriot) president said more can be done despite the announcement of several employment programmes and quotas to be implemented for veterans.
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“To me the way the government programmes are implemented are still unclear. It is better instead for the government to start companies that make use of veteran specialties such as automotive, airplane and ship repairs.
“For example a company like Spanco that has a contract to supply and maintain government vehicles be made as a business.
“These businesses can be placed under the Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT),” he said, adding that veterans from the Army’s Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineer Corps (JLJ) with automotive experiences would be able to contribute there.
He also added that the pension issue has yet to be addressed.
“The current issue that has been on the minds of veterans is the uneven pension adjustments for veterans who had retired before 2013. The gap between veterans who had retired before 2013 and those after is too large.”
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