I-Suri programme helps ensure women’s future financial well-being

KUALA LUMPUR: The Suri Incentive (i-Suri) voluntary contribution is seen as an initiative that can help ensure women’s future financial well-being.

In a survey conducted by Bernama, as registration of the programme under the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) opens today, most of the people gave positive feedback on the programme as it could ensure the housewives, single mothers and those eligible to contribute, financial stability.

A single mother, Zaiton Sulaiman, 56, said the programme was great for the community, especially those with low income or in the urban poverty group.

“Not many are lucky. To me, this kind of help is very good because it can secure my future well-being, as well as the future of my children and those in the same boat.

“I’ve been working for over 20 years. and I’m already getting old and it would be difficult for me to keep my job. So with such contribution, it might be able to help me and my children in the future,” she said after registering as a i-Suri member at the EPF headquarters yesterday.

A housewife, Nor Ezadatul Shahizad Mohd Ghazali, 29, said the programme was also a government initiative in promoting awareness on savings or long term savings to secure a financial future.

“The existence of such a programme seems to encourage married couples to save money from the beginning in order to ensure the wife’s financial stability in the future,” said Nor Ezadatul Shahizad.

A husband, Muhammad Fakhru Razi Razali , 28, said that apart from ensuring the future from a financial point of view, this programme also showed that a housewife’s job should be paid.

“Such initiative will also encourage husbands to be more aware of their wives’ current and future welfare. In fact, it makes a husband more responsible towards his wife and family,” said the private sector project analyst.

A housewife who only wanted to be known as Lynn, 46, however said that though the programme was a good initiative it was hoped the government would explain in greater detail on the eligibility requirements.

“I do not deny that it is a good programme in helping the needy, but detailed information needs to be given by the parties involved in order to avoid any misunderstandings or issues,” said Lynn whose registration was rejected as she did not fulfil the stipulated conditions.

The EPF in a statement announced that the i-Suri registration opened from today and those eligible could register as contributors by visiting any of the 67 EPF branches nationwide.

According to the EPF, housewives, widows and single mothers whose records are in the National Databank of Poverty Malaysia (eKasih) may participate in i-Suri by making a minimum contribution of RM5 each month to their retirement savings account to qualify for the government’s monthly incentive of RM40 which will go into their respective EPF accounts.

According to the statement eKasih statistics showed 221,890 housewives, 98,536 widows and 28,116 single mothers from the hardcore poor segment were eligible to receive the government incentive after signing up for iSuri. - Bernama