Ahmad Zahid issued a statement again asking the government to take account of the public’s request and allow members to make a final withdrawal from their EPF accounts.
Umno Chairman Ahmad Zahid issued a statement on Facebook on January 5 that the government should allow EPF members to make a final lump-sum withdrawal of RM10,000 to get through the COVID-19 pandemic and floods.
In the statement, Ahmad Zahid stated that the withdrawal request was unanimous with the resolution reached by the Umno Supreme Council in August last year.
In addition, DAP Member of Parliament Wang Jianmin severely criticized former Prime Minister Najib and Umno Chairman Ahmad Zahid to increase popularity by pushing the government to extend the EPF withdrawal plan. Wang Jianmin said that currently, 3.6 million EPF members have savings of less than RM1,000, which will affect their retirement savings.
Whether to approve members to withdraw funds from their provident fund accounts has now become a political issue. Leaders such as Umno Chairman Ahmad Zahid, Umno Youth Chief Aslav, and former Prime Minister Najib are all bombarding the Finance Minister for being unkind, and the Finance Minister is also countering these politicians for being populist.
Finance Minister pointed out that Malaysia will become a country with an aging population in 2030, which is 8 years later, and 15% or more than 5.3 million people will be retirees or senior citizens by that time. People need more savings to sustain their lives after retirement.
