Second or third wives are not entitled to the RM50 contribution under the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), said Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
"The government will only allocate RM50 for the first wife.
“Beyond that, we will only consider when we have extra allocation, the previous government left (a huge) debt," she said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
She was responding to Fong Kui Lun (DAP-Bukit Bintang) who asked if second and third wives would be entitled to the EPF contribution from the government.
Pakatan Harapan had in its election manifesto pledged to set up EPF accounts for housewives, in which two percent will be taken from the husband's contributions to the fund, with the government topping up RM50.
The proposal has yet to be implemented as the EPF Act will need to be amended.
Meanwhile, Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali (PAS-Kuala Nerus) asked if the government would opt for a monthly allowance of RM50 instead for the wives similar to what is given to fishermen.
However, Wan Azizah disagreed.
“It is the husband's responsibility to provide allowances for his wives. Why should the government do this?
“We have said the EPF contribution is savings for the future, it is a scheme for the future in the event something untoward happens.
“If you can afford to marry two or three wives, you should be able to provide allowances for all of them,” she added. -Mkini
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