The Employees Provident Fund chairperson Abdul Halim Ali or his representative must attend a public forum o­n Monday to explain why the lowest dividend in 40 years was declared for its 10.3 million contributors, said DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang today.

EPF - a mandatory savings fund for private sector workers - declared 4.25 percent dividend for last year o­n April 18.

Lim said that the forum, organised by the party, would give the EPF an opportunity to explain why a higher dividend could not be declared for last year as compared with the five percent declared for 2001.

He added in a statement that the reduction in the dividend was especially glaring when the country had registered a higher economic growth of 4.2 percent last year from 0.4 percent the year before.