“The 10,000 signatures we have collected in support of the pension scheme shows it is by popular demand and not just PSM’s demand.

“The scheme is affordable for the government. We hope they will look at it thoroughly and bring it up in the budget,” he said at a PSM rally held near Parliament today.

Jeyakumar told FMT that PSM started collecting signatures about a year and a half ago and all of its branches had been working diligently to explain the proposed scheme to the public.

“We are doing this because we understand how difficult it is for senior citizens who do not have savings and those who have to rely on their children for financial support.

“The proposed RM500 should not be seen as a handout but an acknowledgement of the senior citizens who were once workers themselves and contributed to the growth of this country,” he said.

Jeyakumar handed the signatures to the prime minister’s political secretary Chan Ming Kai together with deputy law and institutional reform minister M Kula Segaran, who was also present at today’s rally.

Chan said he would forward the memorandum to the relevant authorities, including the Prime Minister’s Department (PMD), finance ministry and human resources ministry for further review and consideration.

Despite the bad weather, the rally today saw around 200 participants, including representatives from rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia.

Earlier this month, PSM and around 44 other NGOs submitted a collective memorandum to the PMD, urging for the implementation of a senior citizens’ pension scheme.

The scheme would entail a RM500 monthly allowance for senior citizens above the age of 65 who do not receive government pensions or do not have EPF savings exceeding RM1 million.

The 2025 budget is set to be tabled this Friday by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the finance minister.