KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 — Perikatan Nasional (PN) has once again urged the government to allow targeted withdrawals from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) through a suitable mechanism.
Opposition leader and Larut MP Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said this is to ensure only those truly eligible will be able to make withdrawals.
“There are contributors who save in the EPF voluntarily... for example, before the pandemic, they had a successful business. They contributed (to EPF) and bought a house, but three years since the pandemic hit, the income has differed compared to the time they were contributing.
“And now they are asking for withdrawals to be made because they have defaulted on their housing loans for six months and their homes are up for auction. If we do not help people like these, what is going to happen?
“Their home is about to be auctioned and to purchase another asset in a year or two, I think, is very challenging. And that is why I am urging the government to look for a mechanism for this purpose,” he said when debating the Supply Bill 2023 at the policy level at the Dewan Rakyat today.
In addition, Hamzah also asked the government to give more attention to the welfare of ex-servicemen who lay down their lives to defend the country’s sovereignty, but only received a RM500 pension before salary adjustments were implemented in 2013.
“We can still include them as part of the workforce. Remuneration-wise, we do not have to follow the minimum wage, but perhaps based on a new model,” he said. — Bernama
