Guan Eng urges higher funds for non-Muslim houses of worship

PARLIAMENT | Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng (Harapan-Bagan) asked for an increase in allocations for non-Muslim houses of worship.

During his debate on Budget 2026, he said the budgetary allocation for non-Muslim houses of worship has been the same at RM50 million since 2023.

"I hope that this can be increased so that at least it can fulfil the need for non-Muslim houses of worship," he said in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Pointing to the increase in allocations for Islamic Development Department (Jakim), Lim said that this was respected by all Malaysians, including non-Muslims.

Lim further commented on unintended consequences of the policy requiring foreign workers to contribute to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) at the rate of two percent, particularly on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

He claimed that some foreign workers have refused to pay their share, causing some affected employers to take this on as an additional expense.

"To ensure that the harmony of the enterprise is maintained, some employers are forced to pay their employees' two percent EPF contribution, meaning that they pay not only their own two percent contribution but also the two percent contribution of foreign workers.

"That comes up to four percent a month, 48 percent a year, or an additional half a month of salary every year," he said.

EPF contribution

On Feb 3, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the cabinet had approved a two percent EPF contribution rate each for migrant workers and their employers.

This is reduced from the previous proposal of standardising the rates for both Malaysians and migrant workers, meaning that employees would contribute 11 percent of their wages while their employers contribute 12 to 13 percent.

The previous proposal had received backlash from employers and industry groups, leading to a reduction in the contribution rate for migrant workers.

The EPF contributions for foreign workers will take effect with the wages for this month.

It applies to all non-Malaysian citizens working in the country, except domestic workers.

Reporting by Zarrah Morden, Qistina Nadia Dzulqarnain, Haspaizi Zain

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