July 19 is National Pensioners Day, says PM

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government will continue to look after the people’s welfare including government pensioners who continue to support it, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“I am touched with the support given by pensioners to the Govern­ment and me,” he said when launching the 1Malaysia Government Pensioners Club (Kupekmas).

The Prime Minister also declared July 19 as the annual National Pensioners Day to honour their contributions towards nation building.

“The pension scheme provided by the Government is one of the best in the world,” he said, adding that one of the benefits was that when a pensioner died, his wife would continue to receive his pension.

He said the Government would continue to care for its employees even when they retire, adding that when civil servants’ salary was adjusted by between 7% and 13%, pensioners also benefited from this.

However, he said the Government must be prudent in managing the country’s finances to avoid the same fate as some European countries.

He said with the salary adjustments, the Government had to commit RM4bil for the pay rise and RM1bil for the pension adjustment.

Najib said the Government has many more plans to be implemented to ensure the country continues to enjoy progress, but will not make promises that cannot be fulfilled.
-thestar/maa.