KOTA KINABALU: State opposition Parti Warisan's pledge to wipe out the education loans of graduate students is just a populist political promise, says a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) leader.
Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, said it was an unrealistic promise to fish for votes.
This is because when Warisan under Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal was in power from 2018 to 2020, it did not make any attempt to forgive the loans.
"It is a populist political promise timed for the coming state election," Nizam said Monday (Aug 4).
At a recent meet-the-people session in Semporna, Shafie pledged to write off or repay the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) and Yayasan Sabah debts owed by graduates from the state if the party regains power.
Nizam said Shafie's two-year tenure at the helm did not see any firm policies in education that benefited the people.
"The fact remains that not a single education debt was written off when he was chief minister.
"The people of Sabah know the difference between an election promise and actual achievements," " Nizam said, noting that Shafie only made the promise when he was not in power.
He said that Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has already put a commitment to education in place through various policies and initiatives.
Among them is the University Registration Assistance Fund for Sabah students from low-income families, student assistance programmes, and additional scholarships and education assistance from Yayasan Sabah, he added.
"We call on the people of Sabah, especially our youths, not to be taken in by political promises. The future of your education needs sustainable planning, not one minute of populism," he said.
