By William Isau
SIBU, March 3: Lanang MP Alice Lau has urged housewives in Sarawak to register as contributors to the Housewives Social Security Scheme (SKSSR) which came into force on Dec 1 last year as only 4,008 housewives have subscribed so far.
Raising this, Lau was concerned that not a lot of housewives in Sarawak including in Sibu are aware about the scheme that was crucial as a form of protection in the event of an accident that might affect their ability to manage their households.
“A lot of housewives still do not know of this SKSSR which was initiated by the government last year. This scheme is very necessary for them as it is a kind of protection against domestic accidents and invalidity while managing the household,” she said after presenting the Social Security Organisation (Socso) benefit to three beneficiaries from Rumah Kiding in Nanga Salim today.
Lau, who is also the Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker, explained that housewives aged below 55 years old are eligible for the scheme and they only need to pay RM120 yearly for them and their dependents to be entitled for the benefits.
She also noted that there are employees who are not covered under Socso as they are not aware of the need for protection.
At the function, Jeffery Nira received a survivor’s pension of RM300 monthly. He will be getting it until he is 55 years old. He also received funeral benefits of RM2,000.
This came after his wife Dordai Sandom, who was the first contributor to SKSSR in Sibu, passed away on Jan 3 this year. She had contributed to SKSSR starting in December last year.
The other two recipients were Patrick Kiding and the family of the late Edward Bayum Bagat.
Kiding, an account clerk of a cafe in Bintulu, sustained a broken left thigh at his workplace. The 27-year-old slipped and fell down while carrying a box of chicken wings due to the slippery floor. He was given temporary physical disability benefit and sick leave allowance.
The late Bayum, 23, was a general worker of a plumbing company. He was pasting cement in a new housing project on Oct 4 last year when he was electrocuted to death. His family received RM2,000 funeral benefit and is also getting survival benefit.
Socso Sibu manager Dundang Undong was present. — DayakDaily
