I AM interested to know why civil servants who opted for the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) scheme are not entitled to gratuity payments.

I have made calculations and my conclusion is that those in the EPF scheme will lose out to those who are not. First, we won’t be entitled to benefits in government hospitals. Also, those who want to buy a house or land have to finish their payment before their date of retirement.

In my case, if I want to buy a house worth RM200,000, I have to repay the loan within 12 years as I am now 45. This means paying RM2,200 a month. This is a burden as I have three schoolgoing children. If I had chosen to be in the pension scheme, I could spread the payment over 25 years and pay less monthly.

Furthermore, I am paying close to RM500 a month to the fund. I feel that I have made a mistake in choosing the EPF scheme.

Z.M., Kuala Lumpur

Source: NST – August 29, 2008