KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will host the eighth annual general meeting of Former Malaysia Elected Representatives Council or Mubarak (Majlis Bekas Wakil Rakyat Malaysia) as it is known, from May 4 to 8 here.
The meeting proper will be held on May 7, according to Mubarak’s acting president Datuk Sri Abdul Aziz Rahman.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman is expected to officiate the meeting on May 7, Abdul Aziz told reporters here yesterday.
He also said that as a prelude to the meeting, a dinner banquet in conjunction with Mubarak’s anniversary will be held on May 6 and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is expected to attend and officiate the event.
“There will also be a talk by former Prime Minister and Mubarak patron Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on May 8 and it will be based on the thought process of the statesman,” he said adding that they would be inviting students from higher learning institutes to participate in the talk.
According to Abdul Aziz, Mubarak has about 800 members throughout the country and a branch in all states except Sarawak.
“In between the members, we have an average of 10 years experience in politics and our role as a non-governmental organization (NGO) is to assist the government during its election campaign. We will continue supporting the government towards ensuring a Barisan Nasional (BN) victory in the coming 13th general election,” he added.
Abdul Aziz also expressed hope that the government would be able to resolve an outstanding resolution from the council, which is the welfare of former elected representatives, especially in the issue of their pension.
Former elected representatives have been left out in at least two pension reviews, he lamented.
“We have submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister on the issue of our pension but have yet to receive a reply to the request. So we hope the matter will be resolved,” he said.
When asked how many percentage increase Mubarak was requesting for, Abdul Aziz replied, “we have not submitted any figures, just a request for a review and it will be in accordance with the current contemporary level,” he stressed.
He added that an elected representative who had served for two terms or six years is entitled to receive a pension of 50 per cent of the basic salary.
However, those who served less than three years are not entitled for pension, he pointed out.
“This is also another issue which we hope the government will review because the tenure of an elected representative is unstable … our tenure depends on fate,” he said.
Abdul Aziz also disclosed that Mubarak is planning to set up a cooperative like its Sabah branch so that it could venture into the business sector.
Mubarak which has about 60 registered members in Sabah, will also be launching a book titled, ‘100 Heroes of Malaysia’, about Malaysians including athletes, politicians and security forces personnel who had made the country proud.