KUALA LUMPUR – PAS should look into the welfare of its Pusat Asuhan Tunas Islam (Pasti) teachers who are paid below the RM1,500 minimum wage and without any retirement plans, said PKR vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
He said PAS has much to do with ensuring Pasti teachers have social welfare and retirement protection instead of issuing hypocritical and misleading statements about the civil service pension scheme.
“Pasti was established in 1989 and only started contributing Socso payments for its staff in 2021 – after 30 years of operation.
“Until today, there have been claims that the teachers do not receive EPF contributions or have any retirement plans. They are even paid below the RM1,500 minimum wage.
“Each time this is brought up, the teachers are described as volunteers. However, doesn’t PAS have a moral responsibility to care for their welfare?” said Nik Nazmi in a statement today.
He was responding to PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang’s claims made in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Hadi had criticised the government’s study to switch from the pension scheme to EPF contributions for new civil servants, saying it was unIslamic and did not align with the Madani concept.
However, Nik Nazmi said Hadi’s claims were inaccurate as EPF is a retirement scheme and has a shariah savings portfolio.
“Similarly, state agency Yayasan Islam Kelantan also switched to the EPF scheme from a pension one in 2022. Did PAS protest this move when this was announced?
“As someone with knowledge of Islam, Hadi should know better than to issue ignorant statements that were incompatible with actions of the Kelantan government and PAS itself.” – March 7, 2024