Anwar and Kit Siang want the government to distribute cash to Malaysians
Anwar wants the government to pay each Malaysian citizen RM250 a month, totalling RM8 billion a month, while Lim Kit Siang wants it to be RM1,000 a month, to be paid from the Petronas reserves.
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Anwar cadang kerajaan beri bantuan RM250 sebulan kepada semua rakyat
Presiden PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menyatakan kebimbangan sekiranya para pekerja, terutamanya golongan miskin terpaksa menggunakan simpanan hari tuanya dalam Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) bagi menampan kesan hilang punca pendapatan akibat wabak Covid-19.
Ini susulan pengumuman kerajaan membenarkan pencarum KWSP mengeluarkan wang daripada Akaun 2 bagi meringankan beban rakyat.
Anwar berkata kerajaan perlu memberikan bantuan sebanyak RM250 sebulan kepada semua rakyat Malaysia.
“Saya prihatin dengan isu berikan ruang kepada pekerja keluarkan caruman dari KWSP. Ini simpanan untuk masa depan mereka, kelompok kaya tak membimbangkan tetapi dalam kelompok pendapatan rendah ini dikhuatiri jejaskan masa depan mereka.
“[…] tapi saya rasa kerajaan kena pertimbangkan semula, jangan beban hanya pada mereka, sepatutnya paling tidak kerajaan bagi sumbangan sebahagian kepada semua, kalau kata lah RM250 kalau mereka perlu tambahan keluarkan RM250 saja (dari KWSP).
“Kerajaan harus fikirkan untuk belanja dari rizab negara. Ini keadaan kritikal sekarang,” katanya dalam sidang media secara langsung di akaun Facebook hari ini.
Terdahulu Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, mengumumkan inisiatif pengeluaran akaun KWSP menerusi i-Lestari yang tertakluk kepada kadar maksimum RM500 sebulan selama 12 bulan.
Justeru itu, Anwar menyarankan penambahbaikan supaya pencarum boleh mengeluarkan RM250 sahaja daripada akaun KWSP, manakala kerajaan pula menambah bantuan sebanyak RM250.
Menjelaskan lanjut, katanya, bantuan RM250 itu boleh disalurkan daripada rizab negara atau pun hasil keuntungan Petronas.
“Saya pendapat ini adalah keperluan yang harus diberikan pertimbangan segera, hari ini atau esok kerana penjaja atau nelayan, kalau mereka tak kerja tiga ke empat hari mereka tiada simpanan yang panjang.
“[…] guna rizab yang besar yang ada sama ada dalam kerajaan atau Petronas untuk selamatkan rakyat sekarang,” katanya lagi.
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Instead of allowing EPF withdrawals, govt should provide cash support to be paid by Petronas, says Kit Siang
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang today said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should modify his proposal yesterday to allow withdrawals from the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and instead provide cash support from government reserves to outlast the economic fallout brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Muhyiddin Yassin’s proposal to allow EPF contributors to withdraw up to RM500 a month from Account 2 for the next 12 months beginning April 1 is a disappointment as it is not a well thought-out proposal to help workers affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
“This is why it has received brickbats all around,” Lim said in a statement today.
He suggested that Muhyiddin convene an emergency meeting of the National Security Council and the Cabinet today to modify his proposal on early EPF withdrawals.
“To help the workers in the Covid-19 crisis, Muhyiddin should instead announce in a live telecast later today of government provision of cash support from government reserves for Malaysians affected by the crisis.
“I agree with PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that the federal government should utilise the nation’s reserves or increase contribution from state oil and gas Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) rather than use EPF savings to help those who are financially incapacitated by the Covid-19 crisis,” he added.
The Iskandar Puteri MP said the government should also give serious consideration to the proposal by the Pakatan Harapan secretariat for emergency funds to be dispersed via the Cost of Living Aid (BSH), starting with payments of RM1,000 for March and April each.
He said the government should dig into its reserves to fund this proposal, which would cost about RM8.2 million.
Yesterday, the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) also urged the government to use its reserve funds to provide interest-free loans, rather than permit workers to make withdrawals from their EPF accounts.
MTUC secretary-general J. Solomon said the loans, which should be kept to at least RM5,000 per person, will help workers sustain themselves and their families during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
“They should be allowed to start repaying through salary deductions once the situation returns to normal. The government should have the moral courage to dig into its reserves to pump this money directly into the pockets of workers without having to compromise their old age savings,” he had said in a statement.
