This about the continous fight of Captain Mukhtiar for his pension. The exploits of his
I have written. Mindef's Public Relations Department's spokesperson had previously
brushed off and pooh - poohed his heroic deeds. They argued about his length of service being not enough, not having undergone the Tactics Course, you wanna teach a duck how to swim? None of the Tactics Instructors from the past to the present could have achieved what he has achieved in their life time, period, let alone having seen an enemy. Especially so Mindef's PR Department, whose members might not have been in existence during Mukhtiar's great deeds, let alone seen any enemy. Who might actuallly faint seeing one, after all they view the fate of fighting men, from their
Ivory Towers, which are air conditioned, safe and meticulosly clean, unlike the poor slogging infantryman, whose main companions are dirt, hardship, hunger, cold and danger.
Look at this document, which tells us that Captain Mukhtiar Singh was not approved to be a Regular Officer, due to him not meeting the required courses as in the PMAT/23/68 and the APKTTD Serial 4 and 16. It no way mentions that he lacks the years of sevice to qualify for pension as spun by the PR Dept of Mindef.
Well let us assist Mindef's spokesperson do some simple maths. Before that let us see how the reporter belittles his service by saying, "Mukthiar has served in the Armed Forces for only 8 years 4 months and 12 days short of 10 years required to qualify for pension." I think
she fell for the game being played by the Mindef PR Dept which mentioned in a deceptive manner in their Fax: para (1), click on the fax to enlarge. He retired on 21 July 1978 at the age of 46 clocking 8 years 5 months and 27 days. Prior to that he served in the volunteer forces and was mobilized from 4th July 1961 to 31 Dec 1969 for a total of 8 years 5 months and 27 days.
What it actually means and which the PR Dept of Mindef did not want to clarify is simply that the first 8 years plus mentioned were commissioned service and the next 8 years plus were Other Rank service totaling 16 years 11 months and 14 days of recognized service in the Armed Forces. Also not mentioned by the PR was that his Police service was 12 years 5 months and 4 days which all added to gether would give Mukthiar a
whooping 29 years 4 months and 14 days. A reader reading my blog would probably say what is all this fuss about this bloke not getting pension he has after all only 8 years service!!!
Please do the maths based on the document. Apparently Mindef's PR Department, does not go into the details in depth. They are only the "scratch the surface types,"
mediocre and inefficient.
I have the greatest of respect for the Police and the IGP for looking at the pilght of the this great warrior shunned by Mindef.
A hero's exploits remembered By Ng Suzhen November 07, 2008
The heroic exploits of Captain (Rtd) Mukhtiar Singh Sodagar Singh in both the police force and army may soon be commemorated in the Royal Malaysian Police Museum for all to see. These were the sentiments of Supt Rasdi Ramli, Bukit Aman public relations officer, and ASP Zaihan Mohd Kahar, head of the Media Centre of the Royal Malaysian Police. “We will consider recording Mukhtiar's stories in the police museum, but whatever decision we make must have the approval of the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan,’’ said Rasdi. Going through Mukhtiar’s documents at the home of his good friend, Lt Col (Rtd) Mohd Idris Hassan, both Rasdi and Zaihan listened intently to the two veterans.
Referring to Mukhtiar’s appeal for a pension, Zaihan said the most important document was the statement of service which contained Mukhtiar’s I-number, something that was equivalent to a civilian's identification card. “With the I-number, it will be easier for us to track down his past service records. We need to conduct a complete internal investigation before anything can be done,’’ said Zaihan.
The police force will also need to refer to the Pension Unit and the Recruitment and Service Unit, which will take time. But for Mukhtiar, this was something he would be willing to wait for. “We’re happy that the police force has been helpful and willing to listen to my predicament. The public has given its support but the police force is the first government body to sit up and pay attention to what we have to say,’’ said Mukhtiar.
Mohd Idris also expressed his gratitude to the police force for taking the trouble to help his good friend of over 40 years. He also emphasised that this was not about seeking charity from the police or army, rather, it was about seeking the recognition every Malaysian hero truly deserves. For the past 30 years, Mukhtiar, with the help of Mohd Idris, has been writing letters and even approached the Veteran Affairs Department at the Defence Ministry, but to no avail.
It was learnt that Mukhtiar’s pension was denied because he did not attend the “Platoon Weapons’’ and the “Young Officers Tactics Course’’, both of which were held close to the day Mukhtiar was scheduled to retire from the army. His requirement to attend these two courses was ironic as Mukhtiar himself had already been a weapons instructor, training many others to handle weapons.
Since he was 16 years old, Mukhtiar had been helping to maintain peace in the country, even in the face of danger. “He was such a fierce protector of peace that his enemies took the trouble to plan three assassination attempts on him,’’ Mohd Idris said.
It wasn't until Malay Mail highlighted the matter that Mukhtiar's plight caught the attention and concern of the public. Despite the public outcry and evidence of Mukhtiar’s dedication to the country, the Defence Ministry refused to budge from procedure and remained adamant in denying Mukhtiar a pension.
The Malay Mail 
