The EPF withdrawals can be life savers to some Malaysians

Letter to Editor

By Andrew Seah Ming Tee

 

MOST Malaysians, I believe are in the same boat like me and do not own a property and are merely renting.

Not all are lucky enough to earn enough to buy a property and raise a family.

I became a Grab driver after I lost my job when the pandemic hit our shores last year. I was earlier working as the head of security for a shopping mall.

When the pandemic hit, the mall was badly affected and after some time, there is no longer a need for so many security officers.

When I lost my job, I was devastated and before starting my job as a Grab driver, my rent, which is RM800 a month went into two months in arrears.

I was making about RM3,000 a month with my fulltime job, while my wife made about RM1,800.

We have three children and live in Old Klang Road. What we earned was just enough to pay all our bills and put food on our table.

Our family car is a 2016 Perodua Myvi which we purchased second hand and is paying about RM500 a month.

My house rental was two months in arrears and I owed the bank one month installment for our car.

I was at a loss where to get the money to pay these arrears when I heard about the Government’s move to allow EPF withdrawals.

Both my wife and I applied since we have been working for more than 10 years each and needed the money urgently.

Our applications were accepted and we managed to settle all our outstanding arrears and also have some left over for other rainy days.

However, over time, we had to use up all that money also and when the pandemic struck badly this year, things again took a turn for the worse.

Earlier, my wife just suffered a pay cut, but this year, she lost her job and Grab customers were also scarce.

Again, our rental and car installments went into arrears. Thank God for the i-Citra initiative which once again helped us get back on our feet.

There is no fuss if you ask me, about withdrawing our EPF when we really need it. It is after all our hard, earned money and our right to use it.

It is good that the Government gives us this option. Whether one wants to withdraw or not, it is up to them.

An extra RM1,500 a month for my wife and me certainly goes a long way and with that money, my wife has managed to set up a small stall selling curry-puffs near our house.

Times are tough and I want to thank the government for this initiative. If not for the i-Citra and earlier i-Sinar withdrawals, I don’t know how my family would have made it. – July 2, 2021

 

Andrew Seah Ming Tee is from Jalan Kelang Lama, Kuala Lumpur.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.

 

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