136,655 police retirees and ex-policemen eligible for RM500 one-off assistance

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 136,655 police pensioners, former policemen and emergency era policemen who are recipients of the Pingat Jasa Pahlawan Negara (PJPN) qualify for a one-off payment of RM500, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.

The incentive is in appreciation of their sacrifices and deeds to the country including during the emergency era under the Federation of Malaya Service from July 12, 1948 to July 31, 1960.

''These are what we call frontliners ... as such, rightly we must feel proud because regardless of the time period, as long as it is an emergency, the real frontliners are the policemen themselves.

''Prior to this, we were told that there are only 40,000 recipients but the figure has been raised to over 100,000.

''But today we are told that more than 136,000 will receive the RM500,'' he said in his speech at a ceremony to hand over the PJPN RM500 one-off payment at the Police Training Centre here today.

Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said the contribution clearly showed that the government always viewed seriously the affairs of police pensioners, former policemen and era emergency policemen by endeavouring to find avenues to assist them.

''Under the first phase of payment, the aid will be distributed to 10,000 recipients with an allocation of RM5 million, which will be credited directly into their accounts in stages until December 2022. For those who had passed away, the money would be channelled to their spouses or next-of-kin,'' he said.

In February, the government announced a one-off payment of RM500 for police retirees, former policemen and emergency era policemen who received the PJPN.

During the event, 79 PJPN recipients living in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor received the one-off payment.

-- BERNAMA