BUKIT MERTAJAM: Boustead Plantation Bhd (BPB) distributed RM870,000 in zakat (tithe) wakalah contribution to 900 Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) veterans this year.
BPB Trong Business Unit Head (Northern Zone) Abdul Roup Awang said the zakat was distributed as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative to appreciate the services and sacrifices of former armed forces personnel.
“Through this initiative, each ATM veteran receives RM350 each and we hope that it will help ease their financial burden.
“We (BPB) have previously distributed zakat to ATM veterans in Sarawak and Perlis. Our next location is Melaka,” he said after handing out the zakat to 150 ATM veterans here, today.
Also present was Veterans Association of Malaysian Armed Forces (PVATM) president Captain (Rtd) Datuk Sharuddin Omar.
Meanwhile, Sharuddin called on government-linked companies (GLCs) to come forward and help PVATM because 90 per cent of its 178,000 members were in the B40 group.
“We greatly appreciate BPB’s initiative to ease the burden of ATM veterans and I hope the collaboration between PVATM and BPB will continue,” he said. – Bernama