PUTRAJAYA has reiterated that it will not allow another round of withdrawals from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) despite the fact that the issue will be used as political ammunition for the opposition in the forthcoming state elections.
In his speech to EPF employees during the launch of its new headquarters in Kwasa Damansara, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said previous withdrawals from the fund were due to extraordinary circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the nation has since shown persistent signs of recovering and therefore, his administration will not yield in its decision to not allow for another round of withdrawal.
“It was different when the pandemic is upon us, and desperate times called for desperate measures back then. But now the people are free to go out to earn a living and I concur with EPF’s proposal to no longer allow for any emergency withdrawals,” he asserted.
“I believe this issue will continue to be used as political fodder by the opposition in the forthcoming state polls but this will not bother us.”
“We have taken the right stand and will not allow ourselves to be dragged or forced to make decisions simply to satisfy a small group of people.”
During the pandemic, it was reported that a total of RM145 bil in withdrawals were taken out by 8.1 million EPF contributors in four phases, namely i-Lestari, i-Sinar, i-Citra and a special withdrawal. – May 8, 2023
Main pic credit: Bernama
