LETTER: With the online i-Sinar application to start on Dec 21, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has again called on the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to make it easier for members to make their application.
He said, EPF should make it easier for contributors to apply by easing its criteria and other conditions. In his Facebook post, Najib shared a video of a young woman who was in tears, appealing to the fund to remove the conditions. She claimed that she had been rejected from accessing her savings on three occasions.
According to EPF, those eligible to apply for the facility (a one-off withdrawal of up to RM60,000 from Account 1) were members who have not contributed for at least two consecutive months at the time of application and those who are still employed but had their basic salary cut by 30 per cent or more after March 1 this year.
For the past few months, Najib has not stopped making noises on EPF but when he was accused of inciting the people over the matter, he vehemently denied it.
Of course, he has a whale of a time accusing the government of this and that now that he is enjoying his "retirement" but as a former prime minister, he should know best what to do to assist the Perikatan Nasional government in governing the nation amidst these difficult, trying times of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He should have placed the people's welfare above anything else, not making them more confused or being misled. Good arguments are either cogent or sound, otherwise they are bad and Najib, for that, should stop whining over EPF matters but give conclusive support for the benefit of members.
The EPF, had on a few occasions, stated that there were no conditions attached for the i-Sinar withdrawal application and what have been outlined are loose criteria to ensure that the application matches the EPF's internal data. And, of course, these were to ensure it will easily and securely expedite the approval process.
A verification process is surely required to avoid frauds or scams by third parties. This is also to make sure that the application can be approved automatically. Unlike Najib who is only trying to find faults with the government and EPF, the latter understand that the economic situation of members differ.
For members who did not suffer a 30 per cent cut but still require cash to sustain their livelihood amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the EPF said there is a latitude for their applications to be considered.
It said, this was to ensure that the door is not closed as EPF wanted to provide an opportunity for as many members as possible to apply for the facility. It estimates about 8 million members will benefit and eligible members are expected to receive their first payment in mid-January 2021.
Another reminder it has for members is that before applying, they should ensure their i-Akaun is active, their phone number is updated to receive TAC numbers (at EPF counter or kiosk) and their bank account number is also active.
For the sake of members, recently, EPF posted a warning on its Facebook page regarding fake i-Sinar apps found on the internet.
Some of the apps listed by them were MyFund and three different i-Sinar online apps. It explained in its post that it had never approached any third party entities to represent them in performing any of members' withdrawal.
EPF said, any enquiries or transactions pertaining to members' account should be done only through the EPF's official app, i-Akaun, which is available on both Play Store and the App Store.
Members should, therefore, be suspicious of scams who prey on unsuspecting victims just for a quick buck.
HAMIZAH AZMAN
Bukit Antarabangsa, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
Are you eligible for EPF's i-Sinar? Check here: https://www.nst.com.my/kwsp_checker/?nocache1
