I have posted several articles featuring Captain Mukhtiar Singh, in his efforts to get what is rightfully due to him, his pension. Just so that all you readers out there are aware, Captain Mukhtiar put in a combined service of twenty eight years in the Police Force and in the Army. To be eligible for a full pension, one must serve twenty five years in Government service. Both the Police Force and the Army are Government services! Lt Col Idris has been continously highlighting this old warrior's sad plight, tenaciously..

Mindef had previously pooh-poohed this warrior's request for what is rightfully his, his pension. So what happens? Mindef gets another person, a pawn in this sorry tale. After the sorry tale of Capt (Rtd) Mukhtiar Singh, another ex-serviceman is asking recognition for his 13 years of service with the army. Sukaimi Sungep, 56 said he was virtually on 24-hour call with the army’s communications section, handling mail, telephone and repairing wireless radios. “I worked 30 days a month, even on public holidays, 24 hours a day. The only benefit I got back then was 30 days’ leave for a year. When I retired as a Sergeant in 1985, at the age of 33, my last drawn salary was RM800. “Is that all I deserve? I want some recognition,” Sukaimi, of Segambut told Malay Mail yesterday. He was 20 years old when he joined the Army.

The part that really is underhanded is this reporting in the Malay Mail, "Sukaimi’s case is similar to that of Capt (Rtd) Mukhtiar Singh, 75, who left the forces at the age of 45 in 1978, received a gratuity of RM8,332.50 but was not considered qualified for a pension". There is a vast difference between the good Sergeant and Captain Mukhtiar Singh. Mukhtiar put in a combined whopping 28 years in Government service, both in the Police Force and the Army. The Sergeant, I believe was in the Signal Corps. He is a tradesman. He does not fight in the frontline. For god's sake he repairs radio sets and "field telephones". He is what we Infantry fellers refer to as 'bottle washers'.

Okay the good Sergeant left the Army with his eyes wide open after 13 years. As an 'Other Rank', when you first join the Army you sign on for 10 years with two years in the reserves and one year for the King, which makes a total of 13 years. On the onset of the thirteenth year, you can opt to quit without doing the extra three years by applying to be exempted. If you want to continue, you sign on to 18 years. On the 18th year again, you are given an option to quit, most soldiers sign on to twenty one years to qualify for their pension. Officers advise them accordingly. Once a soldier moves into the 18 year period, Officers vigorously encourage them to continue to the 21st year, as they will get their pensions.

All of this is clearly made known to the soldier. In the case of the Sergeant, no one short changed him, he short changed himself, the lure of the gratuity, probably attracted him to quit as more often is the case amongst young soldiers. We used to advise our young soldiers not to quit at that stage of their careers. At 13 years of service, we still consider them young. He inflicted it upon himself. He became a Sergeant within the span of 13 years as he was a qualified tradesman. Rank in the Signal Corps goes hand in glove with the trade you are in.

The report in 'The Malay Mail' is plain bunkum, dishonest, to compare Sergeant Sukaimi Sungep, 56 years old against Captain Mukhtiar. Captain Mukhtiar was killing Communist Terrorists long before the Sergeant was born or when the Sergeant was just born. In 1956 he killed an Enemy in a face to face confrontation with death, the year the Sergeant was born. He has even captured Communists in the year the Sergeant was born. The Sergeant, for all we know was never shot at by the Enemy. In the Infantry, signallers are Infantryman, themselves, period. The reporter is trying to belittle Captain Mukhtiar who was genuinely short changed of his pension by comparing his case against the good Sergeant. That is beneath contempt and a very lowdown attempt to undermine his efforts in getting what is rightfully due to him.

Probably it is the hidden hand of Mindef to downplay Captain Muktiar's case in cahoots with the reporter, pressuring 'The Malay Mail'. This whole story sounds rather too fishy to me, appearing out of the blue at this point of time and the reporter publishing it without checking the facts and adding her own damming drift at the end. Some how I have this gut feeling that this Sergeant is a 'plant' by Mindef to hood wink the public into believing that, there are thousands of cases like Mukthiar's and there is nothing special about him to warrant a review. Also perhaps MM is under some kind of pressure from the Bosses because this story is just too silly from the point of facts to be printed. I hope and pray that the Police Force in which he has served will not let him down and come through for him, not pooh - poohing him off like what Mindef has heartlessly and shamelessly done.