Govt to consolidate MAF veterans’ associations to improve aid distribution, says Adly Zahari

Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said the ministry had also allocated funds under Budget 2026 and Budget 2027 to enable former military personnel to be recruited as forest rangers. — Bernama pic

First Published: Tuesday, 20 Oct 2026 3:18 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) plans to streamline and consolidate more than 300 registered Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) veterans’ associations to facilitate the distribution of assistance to the group, said its Deputy Minister Adly Zahari.

He said under the initiative, to be implemented by the National Veterans Council and the Veterans Affairs Department (JHEV), the number of associations would be reduced to 100, with the associations operating under parent associations to enable government assistance schemes to be coordinated more effectively.

“At the same time, the ministry is also considering increasing the contributions or allocations that we have provided.

“We also hope the state governments will continue to support and encourage veterans’ associations, as JHEV’s focus is on ensuring the welfare of veterans,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a supplementary question from Commander (Rtd) Nordin Ahmad Ismail (PN-Lumut), who wanted to know what steps the ministry or JHEV was taking to coordinate the registration of veterans’ associations with state governments.

In response to a supplementary question from RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong) on the possibility of re-employing veterans at the country’s main entry points, Adly said the government had begun recruiting veterans into the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) this year.

“When AKPS recruits veterans, we can shorten the training process by up to six months because they already have expertise in national defence.

“Similarly, air force veterans with technical expertise can be readily absorbed into the defence industry,” he said.

Adly said the ministry had also allocated funds under Budget 2026 and Budget 2027 to enable former military personnel to be recruited as forest rangers.

He said the move would not only help reduce government expenditure but also make use of veterans’ expertise in the security sector and safeguard national sovereignty. — Bernama