Army veteran had RM420K in salaries, RM40K in unit trust fund and RM28K in co-operative
KUCHING: Imagine having half a million ringgit in your bank account and you are not aware of it!
This is exactly what happened to an army veteran from a longhouse in Kapit who had a whopping RM488,000 in his account and was oblivious to it.
Sarawak Army Veterans Affairs Department (JHEV) outgoing director Col Dunging Serit recounted his experience about helping the veteran “to claim his savings” at a farewell dinner held in his honour on Friday, here.
He will retire on April 15 after serving the armed forces for 35 years.
Dunging said he started an outreach programme Jejak Veteran which required him to travel to longhouses in the state’s remote areas to meet up with veterans, including those who were sick and to pay his last respects to those who had died.
“During my tour of duty, I encountered a mentally challenged veteran in a Kapit longhouse who was not aware that he had RM488,000 in his bank account.
“I brought him to check his bank account and I was surprised to discover that he had RM420,000 in accumulated salaries, more than RM40,000 worth of shares with a unit trust fund and RM28,000 worth of shares with the Armed Forces Co-operative,” he said.
Dunging said that under the outreach programme, JHEV Sarawak had been able to track down almost 4,000 army veterans who were eligible for monthly pensions as their names were in the system.
Meanwhile, Special Officer in the Chief Minister’s Department Lieutenant General (R) Datuk Stephen Mundaw, who was present at the dinner, urged army veterans to unite and cooperate among themselves.
Mundaw, who retired last year as Commander of the Eastern Field Command, also advised JHEV to continue to play its roles and be proactive in helping the veterans.
“There are a lot of benefits that the veterans can get from the government,” he said.
He said there was a need for JHEV Sarawak to ensure that the welfare of the veterans were taken care of.
He commended Dunging for his excellent service during his three-and-a-half-year tenure as director of JHEV Sarawak, adding that a lot of changes were made in the department, like initiating an outreach programme to track down army veterans, especially those who were residing in the rural and remote areas of the state.
Mundaw said under Dunging’s charge, JHEV Sarawak had been able to resolve a lot of problems and matters pertaining to army veterans, including the welfare of those who were sick, and assisting widows and children.
Saying that one of his tasks in the Chief Minister’s Department was to look into the affairs of army veterans, Mundaw assured that he would do his best to assist them.
He noted that many army veterans in Sarawak were doing well in business.
To the successful ones, he urged them to assist those who were still struggling, adding that the spirit of helping one another when they were in the army ought to be practised even though they were no longer in the army.
