The gears are now in motion to try to get Capt (Rtd) Mukhtiar Singh his pension finally, at the age of 75. His plight was highlighted in Parliament by Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong yesterday. During his speech, Wee narrated the story of Mukhtiar, a decorated serviceman who has been denied his pension by the Defence Ministry because he failed to attend two courses during his 30-year service. "He did not commit a serious offence that called for disciplinary action, so the ministry should balance the matter with the long list of contributions in his career. Now that the matter has been brought up in Parliament, ministers will have to take notice and provide an answer, especially the Defence Minister," he said in a telephone interview.

Wee hopes Mukhtiar’s case is the only one. "I worry that there may be other similar cases," he said. "The country must reward its ex-servicemen and not leave them like forgotten heroes. The younger generation will be encouraged to join the army if they know society values their contributions. We don’t want them to be neglected upon retirement." After Parliament proceedings ended, Wee was approached by an officer from the Defence Ministry who asked for Mukhtiar’s service number, which would be referred to the Defence Ministry’s Record and Pension Directorate.

Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry’s assistant director of public relations, Col Fadzlette Othman Merican, said a thorough investigation of Mukhtiar’s case was being carried out by its Record and Pension Directorate. "We take all complaints seriously and we are concerned as the case involves a former serviceman. However, we must also evaluate how true the claims are. So we must go through our records to see that the facts tally. It’s important that we get the facts and figures right as the case involves policies and money," she said. Fadzlette added as 30 years have passed since Mukhtiar retired from the army, a thorough report on the case could not be produced straightaway due to the processes involved.

Malay Mail front-paged Mukhtiar’s story on Monday. The veteran soldier enlisted in the army in 1948 at age 16 and fought valiantly against the communists. Mukhtiar had been honoured for gallantry by Queen Elizabeth and also awarded the Pingat Jasa Kebaktian by the Sultan of Selangor. He retired in 1978 but was told by the Defence Ministry there was no pension for him because he had not attended the Platoon Weapons and Young Officers Tactics courses, which were compulsory for servicemen. Mukhtiar’s story has hit the hearts of his fellow countrymen, and has drawn support from various parties such as the public, several Members of Parliament, and the Ex-Servicemen’s Association of Malaysia.