Polygamists can pick more than one wife for 2% EPF contribution

A HUSBAND can name more than one wife as the recipient of the 2% Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contribution, says Deputy Finance Minister Amiruddin Hamzah.

He said EPF would act upon the instructions from the husband as to who he wants to name as the recipients of the 2% contribution.

“If the husband says give to two, three or four wives, and this is done voluntarily, the transfer will be made as requested.

“EPF will not go the extra mile to check whether there is more than one wife.

“When a husband states he wants to give the 2% and if he gives the names and identity card numbers (of the recipients), we will not conduct a thorough check,” he said in his winding-up replies on debates on the Employees Provident Fund (Amendment) Bill 2019.

Earlier, during debates, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan (BN-Pontian) raised the issue of husbands having more than one wife.

He drew laughter from the House when he said he raised the question for the benefit of Datuk Seri Ismail Mohamed Said (BN-Kuala Krua) and Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) who were sitting next to him.

“Why is the contribution fixed at 2% and not more. What if you have more than one wife?

“Both Kuala Krau and Kinabatangan have experience in the matter,” he said.

Amiruddin said the 2% contribution was meant to help full-time housewives.

“They will have some form of saving,” he said, adding that the information given by the husband would be taken at face value unless there were documents to state otherwise or that the contribution ends due to death or divorce.

The Bill was later passed.

Besides the 2% contribution, amendments would see employers who failed to make employee EPF contributions or have outstanding contributions barred from leaving the country until they were made.

Those who failed to comply with the law yet left the country could be jailed up to six months, fined a maximum of RM2,000 or both upon conviction.- Star