'Go to the ground' - group against EPF collateral for loans tells Anwar

 

The Muslim Consumer Association Malaysia (PPIM) has called on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to go to the ground to feel the pulse of the people.

PPIM special officer Gulab Jan Fazal Eladi lamented that the NGOs truly understood the people’s plight - as they often are the first to receive complaints from the public.

“I’m asking for the top leaders, for Anwar, to go on the ground and feel the suffering of the rakyat. The rakyat are suffering.

“NGOs constantly go on the ground, people call us to talk about their woes and we can only help them with what we have,” she told reporters outside the EPF headquarters in Kwasa Damansara today.

She added that the government’s move of allowing Employees Provident Fund (EPF) members to use their Account 2 as collateral for emergency bank loans would not help those out of work.

Gulab, alongside representatives from the Global Human Rights Federation and Pertubuhan Gagasan Inovasi Rakyat Selangor (PGIR) gathered outside the EPF headquarters today.

Recently, Anwar announced that selected EPF contributors in dire straits would be allowed to use the sum in their EPF Account 2 as collateral to obtain a bank loan.

The finance minister announced this in response to calls for the government to allow another round of EPF withdrawal.

However, the group today claimed that the government’s move of allowing EPF contributors to use their Account 2 as collateral for emergency bank loans would not help those out of work.

Later, they handed two memoranda to EPF today on two matters.

One is a protest against the plan to allow EPF accounts to be used as collateral for loans.

Secondly, they seek EPF’s support in calling for another round of special withdrawals.

Meanwhile, PGIR president Azmie Bugis called on EPF and the Finance Ministry to hold a briefing session with the troubled EPF contributors to listen to their plights.

He claimed that the NGOs have received more than 300,000 complaints from EPF contributors in need of access to their funds to pay off their debts.

A name list of the contributors was provided to the EPF today, Azmie said.

He added that on top of allowing for another round of EPF withdrawal, the government should provide job opportunities to EPF contributors currently without work, as well as review salaries to reflect the current high cost of living.

Azmie also called on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to advise Anwar to help the rakyat. - Mkini