Don't repay PTPTN loans, urges Anwar

“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.