KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 — Public resistance to mandatory Lindung 24/7 contributions highlighted the difficulty of getting Malaysians to pay into a social protection scheme they might never need, said the Social Security Organisation (Socso).
Socso deputy chief executive officer (strategy and corporate) Edmund Cheong Peck Huang said the backlash, including people calling the scheme puaka (wicked or evil) on Threads, reflected what he saw as growing individualism.
“I’m seeing a trend that Malaysians are being more individualistic,” Cheong said at the Long-Term Care Financing Dialogue 2026 on October 21. “Many Malaysians will say, why should I contribute to a pool for someone who did not take care of himself?”
