PKR veep slams Hadi for misleading public over govt’s pension plans

PETALING JAYA: PKR vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has hit out at PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang for allegedly misleading the public by saying that the government was planning to abolish pensions for civil servants.

The PKR vice-president, who is also the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister, said in reality the government’s proposal was to only review the benefits of all existing pension schemes and to explore options for hiring new civil servants with new retirement benefits such as the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).

“This proposal does not affect the existing civil servants,” said Nik Nazmi in a statement Thursday (March 7).

On Wednesday (March 6), Abdul Hadi criticised the government for considering non-pensionable civil service jobs, saying it does not fit the Madani slogan touted by the federal administration.

While delivering his speech on the motion of thanks on the Royal Address, Abdul Hadi said all elected representatives must be treated fairly.

“Regardless of who is the government after the general election, elected representatives must be given an allocation whether they are with the government or the Opposition,” he said.

“This is what is called being fair, because taxes are collected from all. Clothes are taxed, services are taxed. They don’t ask whether the person (supports) the government or Opposition,” he added.

He also took a swipe at the Madani concept.

“We don’t know what Madani is,” said the PAS president.

Nik Nazmi also slammed Hadi for trying to give an impression that contributing to EPF was un-Islamic during his speech.

“Does the former Terengganu mentri besar and also the ex-special envoy to the Middle East not understand that the EPF is also a retirement protection scheme?” Nik Nazmi asked, adding that the Kelantan Islamic Foundation (YIK), a state government agency, had also introduced a new pension scheme with contributions to the EPF.

“Why didn’t PAS object to this when YIK announced their plans,” added Nik Nazmi, who is also Kelantan and Terengganu PKR chief.