Wilfred (second from left) and members of the Sabah Government Pensioners Association at the press conference Monday.
Datuk Wilfred Linggam…80 per cent of pensioners lived below the poverty line.
KOTA KINABALU : – Many pensioners live with less than RM2,500 a month, said president of the Sabah Government Pensioners Association, Datuk Wilfred Lingham.
He said that 80 percent of their 5,915 members lived below the poverty line.
“They depend mainly on their pension which are below poverty line, and they live like frogs in a shell,” he said during a media conference on Monday.
He also said that many of the pensioners still had house and car loans to settle, as well as children still attending school.
“As a result, many of them live a hard and stressful life,” he said.
Wilfred said that among the aims of the association is to raise awareness among persioners that they can continue being active and contribute to society.
“We carry out activities all year long … and on September 28, we will be holding the Malam Suara Mas dan Pesara (Night of the Golden Voice and Pensioners) at the Putra Ballroom,” he said.
He added that every year, awards are given to pensioners who have contributed to the growth of the association which has 21 branches in Sabah.
Wilfred also said that many pensioners were targetted by scammers and had fallen victims.
He added that awareness programmes on the issue will be held for the members.
He also alleged the possibility of an “insider work” in banking institutions that led to the senior citizens being targetted by scammers.
“It is the work of insiders since how come scammers (know who to) pick,” he said.
Wilfred also said that he nearly became a scam victim a few weeks ago after a woman, claiming to be on the verge of divorcing her husband and with over a million ringgit, contacted him.
“She asked for my passport number and bank information and of course, I did not give it,” he said.
He added that he played along, and eventually, he received a call claiming to be from Kuala Lumpur saying that there was a package waiting for him and requesting a payment of RM4,425 for its release.
“I informed them the sender should pay for it,” he said.
After that, he said that the woman tried intimidating him, informing him she was going to sue and that she will get gangsters to get him and his family.
“She tried to intimidate me. I just blocked her,” he said.
Unfortunately, there are pensioners who fall victim to such scams, he said.
“Some are probably too shy or embarrassed to report them,” he added.
