GLOBAL Human Rights Federation (GHRF) and Pertubuhan Gabungan Inovasi Rakyat Malaysia (PGIRM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to pledge for one-off EPF withdrawals for contributors and matters pertaining to human rights.

GHRF and PGIRM have received many phone calls, WhatsApp messages, and emails from EPF contributors pleading for withdrawal from account 1 to be released by the government.

More than 40 affected contributors attended and expressed their grievances and sufferings since the pandemic, as well as their struggles to make ends meet.

As a result, all of these EPF contributors have more than enough money in their accounts to alleviate the severe financial burdens they are currently facing.

With this EPF withdrawal, it would help them have a fresh start and embark on a new path in life. What’s the point of waiting until the retirement age of 55 when you need it now to live your life and be released from further hefty financial debts.

Hence, we heard the cries, pleading for their EPF withdrawal to be allowed so they and their families could survive without going into further financial complications.

The government must realise that even though there is a process of recovery now from the pandemic, there are many more out there who have been badly affected by the financial crisis due to the pandemic and are still struggling and suffering, like the 40 who attended our meeting and many more out there who interacted with us.

Suicidal cases increased from 631 in 2020 to 1,142 as reported in 2021, mainly due to financial stress and depression during the pandemic.

Recently, I noticed that many third-party financial providers are promoting financial aid to EPF contributors on Facebook.

Many are requesting assistance in the comment section, and here we do not know how reliable it is or what the catch behind the scene.

Due to desperation, we do not want people to be lured into scams or lone sharks just to ease their burdens. There were 1,784 cases of Ah Long in Jan 2022, according to Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Komersial (JSJK) Bukit Aman.

We have a total of 15.5 million EPF account holders in Malaysia.

It’s pointless for the Prime Minister to say that EPF account 1 contribution is for retirement age; what kind of retirement are we talking about when people are suffering now?

By the way, the majority of Malaysians work until they are 70 or older, and no one retires at 55 in order to maintain their income and commitments.

The unity government must seriously consider allowing EPF withdrawal without any hesitation or further delays.

This EPF withdrawal might not be a permanent solution, but it will definitely help many to lift up their lives and ease their burdens, especially for the B40 and M40 groups of people. - Feb 5, 2023

Shashi Kumar is president of the Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF), a Kuala Lumpur-based NGO fighting against racism, supremacist policies, religious persecution, double standard law enforcement, discrimination and oppression of minority groups.

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

https://focusmalaysia.my/allow-one-off-epf-withdrawals-for-contributors/