Undi18 denies BN links, EPF non-payment claims

 

Undi18 says the movement had consistently criticised and even protested against political parties and coalitions, be it the ruling government or opposition.

PETALING JAYA: Undi18 has denied claims made by an anonymous blog earlier today that the civil society group was linked to Barisan Nasional (BN) and had not been transparent about its funding.

According to the blog, a company linked to Undi18’s two founders – Nur Qyira Izzati Yusri and Tharmelinggem Pillai – were connected to two individuals from two BN component parties.

“These two secretaries are politically-linked,” the blog said.

FMT is withholding the names of the two individuals, as well as their company pending a response.

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In a statement, Undi18 said a typical company secretary handles hundreds, even thousands of clients.

“Our company secretary was recommended by our company auditor. This is extremely common when setting up businesses in Malaysia.

“We are based in a shared office space. Multiple companies, previous and current, are using, and have used, the space,” said the group.

The blog also questioned the source of donations made in August 2021 to Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR).

However, Undi18 said crowdfunding for SSR has been shared multiple times with coalition organisations, including receipt tracking.

“There is collective ownership of the funds by member organisations.

“Currently funds are being used to finance the lawsuit against the police for misconduct against SSR protesters. Accounting will be made public once the lawsuit is concluded,” Undi18 said.

The group also said it has a proven track record of working with people and politicians across parties, be they government or opposition.

“We have also consistently criticised and even protested against multiple political parties and coalitions. We will continue to do so in our advocacy and campaigns.

On claims by Undi18 campaigners that there were no contributions made to their Employees Provident Fund (EPF), the movement insisted it adhered to labour laws, especially when it came to such statutory payments.

“All our full-time employees receive their monthly EPF contributions. We have also previously hired part-time workers, project contractors, paid interns and vendors for specific short-term commitments.” - FMT