KUALA LUMPUR: Veterans who retired before Jan 1, 2013, are still awaiting pension adjustments, leaving them receiving lower pensions than those who retired after that date, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Datuk Khlir Mohd Nor (PN-Ketereh) said the disparity remained unresolved despite repeated appeals.
He called on the Defence Ministry (Mindef) to provide a list of surviving veterans who retired before Jan 1, 2013, and disclose the cost of adjusting their pensions.
"I request Mindef to submit the list of veterans who retired before January 1, 2013, who are still around, and how much money is needed to resolve this pension adjustment," he said during the 2027 Budget debate in the Dewan Rakyat.
Khlir said many of the affected veterans had served between 1946 and 1990 and were now aged 60 and above.
"The majority of veterans who retired before January 1, 2013 are personnel who served during the emergency era, which is from 1946 to 1990, where their average age today is 60 years and above," he said.
Khlir said the eight per cent increase under the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA), which took effect on Dec 1, 2024, was welcomed, but the pension disparity still needed to be addressed.
He added that the number of affected veterans had declined as many had died while waiting for their pensions to be adjusted.
"Now, out of that 78,000 (veterans who retired before 2013), I think there are only 40,000 left. The others have died. So they don't get to experience it," he said.
Citing data from the Armed Forces Veterans Affairs Department (JHEV), Khlir said there were 221,312 Armed Forces veterans nationwide as of July 30, 2025,, with about 6,000 more expected to join their ranks annually.
He said most veterans served for 21 years due to the nature of military service, while 93.24 per cent received pensions equivalent to 50 per cent of their final salaries, having fallen short of the 25 years and three months of service required to qualify for a pension equivalent to 60 per cent of their final salaries.
Khlir, himself a veteran, called for the issue to be resolved under Section 187 of the Armed Forces Act 1972.
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