Commenting on a report by Sin Chew Daily that the Public Service Department (JPA) has suspended its scholarships for all tertiary courses, including pre-university programmes, Zairil said the move was unacceptable as it would affect close to 700 students currently studying in and outside the country.
He said should the move be a direct result of the country’s falling revenue, Prime Minister Najib Razak has nobody else to blame but his own leadership for failing to properly manage the country’s economy and finances.
While conceding that the country’s under performing economy was the result of several factors beyond the government’s control, scandals surrounding a RM2.6 billion donation as well as 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) were the main reasons investors lacked confidence in Malaysia, alleged Zairil.
“Is this the effect of what has been branded ‘Najibnomics’?”
According to the Bukit Bendera lawmaker, the Federal Government should have worked on overcoming the country’s financial leakages and mismanagement rather than victimising innocent students.
In making his case, Zairil referred to the Opposition pact’s 2016 shadow budget which stated that with a restructuring measure and steps to check corruption, the government could stand to save over RM30 billion, which could then be channelled into programmes benefiting the public at large.
“The reality is that the funds allocated for JPA scholarships in the 2016 Budget was not much to begin with, only RM1.65 billion, lesser compared to 2015’s RM1.93 billion.
“With the allocation of RM20.3 billion provided to the Prime Minister’s Department, why can’t some funds from there be channelled to support JPA scholarships instead?
“After all, Najib has proven how easy it was for him to obtain the RM2.6 billion donation.”
Zairil reiterated that more JPA scholarships should have been given to students this year instead of having it suspended, considering that the Higher Education Ministry’s budget was slashed by RM2.4 billion, leaving hundreds of deserving students without the chance to study in selected universities now.
Frowning upon the misallocated funds, he called upon the government to place the nation’s human capital above other programmes that have proven to be unfruitful.