CHILDREN of armed forces veterans will have a chance to further their studies at Universiti Tun Abdul Razak for free for a year, with costs to be borne by the university, said Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said the programme would extend over a five-year period at a cost of RM12,500 per student for the one-year period, after which they could choose to remain at the university or study elsewhere.

Ismail also said the government had agreed in principle to give RM500 in aid to those looking after bedridden spouses, under an initiative first discussed when he was Senior Defence Minister.

“The government has never forgotten the deeds of veterans for the country and we will definitely help in any aspect to ease their burden. We want to safeguard the welfare of veterans because they have risked their lives to defend the country.

“I am always open to meeting any party to discuss issues involving veterans’ affairs because this matter is close to my heart,” he said when opening the administrative office of the Bera Branch Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans Association at Taman Merbau Indah.

At the function, the PM approved a RM20,000 allocation for the association, which had been operating since 2016.

Also present were Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans’ Affairs Department director-general Dzulkarnain Ahmad and its Pahang director Mejar Khairul Ashinar Aziz. 

The PM also said the Housing and Local Government Ministry was committed to providing special quotas for veterans and defence personnel in its affordable housing projects.

Ismail said he had asked for a special allocation for veterans in the proposed construction of 1,000 houses under the Program Perumahan Rakyat in Bera.

He stressed that armed forces personnel and veterans should have the assurance that their families would always have comfortable places of accommodation. – Bernama, July 14, 2022.