“No need to pay, let them sue if they want! However, you must pay other loans, no need for PTPTN.”
This
was Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s message to more than 10,000
people at a ceramah in his stronghold, Permatang Pauh, on Saturday
night.
He claimed that, if the general election is called this
year and Pakatan Rakyat conquers Putrajaya, the National Higher
Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) would be abolished within the year.
The
loan scheme will be replaced by free education from the primary to
tertiary levels for all Malaysians, he was quoted as saying by Chinese
newspaper Sin Chew Daily.
He also reiterated that Pakatan would reduce fuel price just one day after the new Pakatan government is formed.
To
back his claim, Anwar cited the example of Turkey which produces no
oil. Yet its government took only two years to provide free education
from the primary to tertiary levels.
As such, he argued, there is no reason why Malaysia, which has abundant oil revenue, cannot emulate Turkey.
The issue of PTPTN became contentious when
the opposition said it would scrap the corporation should it come to
power, because the state-funded loan scheme has become a burden for many
graduates.
BN has claimed that abolishing PTPTN would deny students from low-income families the opportunity to enroll in universities.
However
PKR, the party that has spearheaded the anti-PTPTN campaign, argued
that Pakatan will have the ability to provide free tertiary education if
it forms the federal government.
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