The Prime Minister has no intention of relaunching the i-Citra withdrawal scheme, with 20% of members having only RM1,000 in EPF savings.
The Prime Minister said the current EPF law does not allow members to withdraw their EPF savings before retirement unless the government grants an exemption for early withdrawal. EPF is for retirement and the Prime Minister hopes that people will not withdraw it at will.
Following the approval of the i-Sinar and i-Citra EPF withdrawal schemes, the amount of savings of EPF board members has been drastically reduced, which has resulted in some people potentially becoming penniless upon retirement. Currently, 20% of the members have only RM1,000 left in their savings.
While UMNO leader Asyraf argued that the RM1,000 aid given by the government was not enough and that the government should listen to the people’s demand for the i-Citra withdrawal plan.