Legal provisions being ironed out to expedite EPF scheme for housewives

KULIM: A detailed study will be carried out to review some of the legal provisions in expediting the implementation of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) scheme for housewives, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

She said the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry had a meeting with the top management of the EPF and Social Security Organisation (Socso) to discuss the details on how the scheme could be implemented.

“We found that there are legal provisions that do not allow the implementation of such a scheme.

“So, we want to see how it can be implemented as soon as possible,” she was quoted by Bernama after visiting the family of two who drowned in flash floods in Kampung Baru Sungai Kob here.

Also present were Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir and Padang Serai MP M. Karupaiya.

Dr Wan Azizah said implementing the scheme for housewives should be expedited to fulfil the Government’s “10 Promises in 100 Days” manifesto during the 14th General Election.

She said the Government would also look into a mechanism that would enable the husbands to make voluntary contributions to the scheme. All these efforts would need the cooperation from the Finance Ministry, she said.

On flood victims, Wan Azizah gave RM10,000 to Che Yang Ton, 53, who lost her husband, former soldier Johari Bakar, 57, and their 14-year-old daughter Nor Sari Danila after strong currents in the river swept away the car they were in.

Che Yang clung to a guava tree while their son Azim Mazrin, 22, hugged a pillar of the car shed.

She said her home in Kampung Baru Tambahan started to flood at about 11pm on Monday night.

More than 40 houses in the village were affected by the flood, with hers among the worst hit.

Dr Wan Azizah said she was saddened by the incident.

“We understood that the flooding only started occurring in recent years,” she said.

Dr Wan Azizah also gave the assurance that there would be solutions to overcome the flood woes.

Accompanied by Mukhriz and PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Wan Azizah also broke fast with about 300 villagers at a nearby mosque.

She presented a RM100 aid each to 80 people.