Sungai siput: The Defence Ministry will ensure that no former members of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM), including the Orang Asli community, are left behind from the Veteran Desa Madani (VDM) programme. Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari announced that VDM, organized in collaboration with the Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans Affairs Department (JHEV), marked Sungai Siput as the fifth location for the programme this year after Pengkalan Chepa, Gua Musang, Jeli, and Slim River.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Adly stated that VDM is part of the ‘Peduli Veteran Madani’ (PVM) initiative, which focuses on Orang Asli veterans in line with the inclusive principles of the Malaysia MADANI policy. The focus is on the welfare, health, housing, education, and socioeconomic empowerment of ATM veterans, especially those classified as asnaf and B40 groups. Adly emphasized that Orang Asli veterans are part of the larger defence family and are not forgotten in the ministry’s planning and aid distribution.

During a media conference at the Sungai Siput-level VDM programme at the Orang Asli One-Stop Centre (OAOSC) in Bawong, Adly highlighted the distribution of ATM veteran cards to Orang Asli veterans, as well as Rahmah contributions and basic necessities to local residents and veteran associations. Earlier, he conducted welfare visits to two Orang Asli ATM veterans classified as asnaf, one non-Orang Asli asnaf veteran, and an active ATM veteran entrepreneur in the agriculture sector.