MUHYIDDIN DRIVING MALAYS TO BANKRUPTCY? – ONLY RM5,500 LEFT IN SAVINGS & MALAYS STILL WANT TO WITHDRAW AGAIN FROM EPF? – IN WAKE-UP CALL, AHMAD MASLAN WARNS MALAYS THEIR PRE-COVID BALANCE WAS RM16,900 – ‘NOW THEY ARE LEFT WITH ONLY RM5,500. THIS IS AMONG REASONS WHY WE ARE NOT ALLOWING WITHDRAWALS AGAIN’ – YET CORRUPTION-TAINTED MUHYIDDIN SAYS ‘WHY NOT?’ – PERHAPS IF HIS PN GOVT HADN’T ‘MIS-SPENT’ & WASTED SO MUCH PUBLIC FUNDS, THE PEOPLE WOULD NOT BE SO DESPERATE NOW!
Malays’ median EPF savings down to RM5,500, says Ahmad Maslan
He says this is among the reasons for not allowing additional withdrawals from EPF.
KUALA LUMPUR: The median Employees Provident Fund (EPF) savings for Malays is down to RM5,500 due to withdrawals during the Covid-19 pandemic, says deputy finance minister Ahmad Maslan.
“This is among the reasons why we are not allowing withdrawals again this time around,” he said during a press conference at Parliament.
“But after the withdrawals, it is now only RM8,100,” he said.
Ahmad also said more than RM145 billion was withdrawn by 8.1 million individuals during the pandemic under four special withdrawal schemes.
Yesterday, Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin had called on the government to consider allowing another one-off targeted EPF withdrawal for those financially affected by the pandemic. FMT
Muhyiddin: Allow EPF withdrawal
“The same goes with loan moratoriums. Banks were making money even while the nation was facing a crisis.
“What is wrong if banks were on board to assist the people by reintroducing targeted loan moratoriums to alleviate the burden of those affected by the inflation and the overnight policy rate?” said the Pagoh MP when debating the motion of thanks on the Royal Address.
Muhyiddin, who did not name names, also criticised the government for appointing their family members as officers.
He was believed to be referring to the appointment of Nurul Izzah Anwar as the Prime Minister’s economic adviser.
On Feb 12, Nurul Izzah announced that she was no longer the senior adviser on economics and finance to Anwar.
Earlier, Muhyiddin hit out at the government for what he claimed to be the political persecution of its leaders ahead of the six state elections later this year.
“That’s why, if possible, they are trying to paint us black and label us as thieves so that the rakyat will not support us.
“But I believe the previous wave of support for Perikatan will continue in the six state elections,” he said, referring to the investigations of corruption involving some Opposition members.
He also warned that the move to persecute their leaders would backfire against the government in the elections.
“There will be backlash – these are the sentiments of the people. Millions of Malaysians are watching,” he warned, adding that no prime minister would stay in power forever and pointing to his and his successor Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s brief stint since 2020. Six states – Kelantan, Terengganu, Selangor, Penang, Negri Sembilan, and Kedah – are due for polls this year.
Earlier, there was a brief shouting match between Mohd Sany Hamzan (PH-Hulu Langat) and several Perikatan MPs, with both sides trading barbs over alleged defamatory statements made on social media.
Muhyiddin, who spoke after Mohd Sany’s interjection, said whatever was expressed by ordinary Malaysians on TikTok was not defamatory as it was merely an expression of sentiments.
“Thank you, we don’t want to fight here. If it’s true, then it’s true. If it’s slanderous, then it is slanderous. “But if it’s not slander and instead, it was merely an expression of sentiments by the people through TikTok, what’s wrong with it? I don’t understand,” he said.
Many political analysts, he pointed out, said Perikatan has received outstanding reception on TikTok during the 15th General Election, particularly among the youth.
However, he claimed there were moves by the government to pressure TikTok users who were also Perikatan supporters and that Perikatan leaders were blocked on TikTok. ANN
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