KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 21 – Pontian MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan today raised the issue of EPF withdrawal as part of the government’s effort to aid those worst hit by flood disaster and Covid-19.

Saying that the Finance Ministry should consider the option, the Umno Secretary-General also said the government must be benevolent enough to assist them.

“Name me among the efforts to help those whose EPF savings is less than RM10,000, taking into consideration their income strata in medium and long terms, especially those affected by flood.

“How about the 6.83 million depositors who have more than RM10,000 savings, many of them really hope for a one-off withdrawal since they are floored by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said during the 14th Parliament Special Sitting on Flood Management here, yesterday.

He added that Section 54 of the EPF Act 1991 provides a clause which says depositors can withdraw their savings to continue survival.

“It also says depositors who need financing to increase their income as a mean of survival can make withdrawal. I would like to seek an answer from the Finance Minister,” he said.