In a Facebook post, Asyraf said this was conveyed to Anwar, who is also the Pakatan Harapan chairman, during the unity government secretariat’s meeting at Menara Dato’ Onn last night.

“I managed to raise several issues that touched on the people’s concerns, including having to bear greater financial burdens ahead of the new school term,” he said.

While acknowledging that many had taken jibes at Umno Youth for pushing for multiple EPF withdrawals in the past, he said there was no need for a blanket withdrawal scheme this time around.

“It would be sufficient (for the scheme) to be targeted towards those who really need it,” he said, adding that Putrajaya had already announced cash aid for the people for the new schooling session.

There have been some calls for the government to allow another round of EPF withdrawals, with an NGO named Pertubuhan Gagasan Inovasi Rakyat saying the scheme could be targeted instead.

However, last month, Anwar said other options should be considered to help those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic instead of further EPF withdrawals.

As most contributors have seen their savings dwindle, allowing more withdrawals will affect their ability to sustain themselves when they retire, he said.

Four tranches of EPF withdrawals were allowed in the past two years because of the effects of the pandemic. An EPF withdrawal of up to RM10,000 was allowed last year, following the i-Lestari and i-Sinar schemes in 2020, and i-Citra in July 2021.