Wan Ramli Wan Seman, who refused to be vaccinated, was sacked from the armed forces after he was court martialled and found guilty of insubordination on July 10 last year.

PETALING JAYA:

Now that the government has backtracked on its “punishment” for those refusing to take the Covid-19 vaccine by allowing equal access and also paying back special aid that was stopped, the army sergeant who was discharged and lost his pension must be reinstated, says his lawyer.

Yesterday, the health ministry announced relaxed measures on Covid-19 SOPs from May 1, including removing all restrictions imposed on those unvaccinated. The public service department also rescinded its circular on withholding the special Covid-19 aid to unvaccinated civil servants.

Suzana Norlihan, the lawyer for Wan Ramli Wan Seman, said he was given a dishonourable discharge last year for refusing the vaccine and had lost his pension after 20 years of service without any disciplinary case against him.

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“He was supposed to have left with a full pension next January after 22 years of service to the nation. He now has nothing. He is forced to run a small general stall to fend for his wife and two schoolgoing children. Thousands of civil servants who refused the vaccine are still in service enjoying all the benefits.

“With the relaxation of conditions on the unvaccinated, where everyone gets equal treatment, the armed forces should reinstate him, give him the arrears in wages and also the pension after he retires. Otherwise, we are seeing two sets of rules,” she told FMT.

Suzana said she had been told there were other cases of those forced to leave the service or take early retirement for refusing the vaccine. “All their cases must now be reviewed and compensated adequately.”

There were also reports that some in the private sector were asked to leave or not confirmed in their jobs for refusing to be vaccinated.

She said Wan Ramli did not refuse to go to war or neglected his duty as a soldier or misbehaved, which were among the reasons soldiers were given a dishonourable discharge, adding that the pandemic was something that was new and had to be handled differently.

She also said inter-state travel was even allowed for those unvaccinated when Malaysia started entering the endemic phase on April 1.

Wan Ramli was court martialled and found guilty of insubordination on July 10 last year. He was later sacked.

He has filed a suit against the government, asking for a court declaration that his early termination is null and void. He was only scheduled to be discharged on Jan 20 next year.

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With ‘equal access’, sacked unvaccinated soldier must be reinstated, says lawyer

This follows the government's decision to remove all restrictions imposed on those unvaccinated from May 1.