KANGAR, Jan 16 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government will have to consider the plight and the future of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributors before they are allowed another round of special withdrawals.

Anwar said it was better for the government to look for other effective options to help those impacted by or who had lost their source of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said this is because most contributors have very small amounts of savings and if the government allows withdrawals again, it will affect the future of the contributors themselves.

"Too little... I’ve checked the amount of savings and for a majority of contributors, it is too small, and I am very concerned about their future.

"It would be better for the government to look for options to help them,” he told reporters after attending the Prime Minister’s 2023 Mandate to Perlis civil servants gathering here today.

Yesterday, a group of EPF contributors, Pertubuhan Aktivis Rakyat Malaysia (ProRakyat) called on the government to consider another round of EPF withdrawals of up to RM30,000.

Its president, Khairul Anuar Othman said the one-off withdrawal between RM10,000 to RM30,000 is a short-term solution so that the people will not run out of cash to spend.

On development projects in Perlis, the prime minister said the government will look into all projects under the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) after the revised Budget 2023 is tabled on Feb 24.

"Matters concerning projects will be discussed with the northern corridor (NCER). The Menteri Besar has sent a list of projects including Sanglang Port, Perlis Inland Port, food security... those are matters to be focused on, but it would be best to hear out the details in the corridor meeting after the (tabling of) Budget,” he said. — Bernama