Najib today questioned if there were graduates who borrowed from the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTPN) earning below RM1,000.
He said he had eagerly waited for an announcement in the budget on the PTPTN, saying Pakatan Harapan (PH) had promised young voters to ease repayment rules on the study loan.
“But what came out was that those who earned at least RM1,000 need to pay back their higher studies loan.
“Even the Bangladeshi workers get more than RM1,000. The ‘mat bangla’ who mows the grass at the golf course also earns more than RM1,000. Which graduate earns below RM1,000?” he asked during a dialogue session at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) today, where some 1,000 attended.
It was announced yesterday that borrowers with a monthly income of at least RM1,000 must repay their loans at a rate of between 2% and 15% of their salaries.
Companies who employ fresh graduates and settle their PTPTN debts through salary deduction would also be given tax exemptions.
PH in its election manifesto had said that it would allow borrowers who earn less than RM4,000 a month to defer repayment of the study loan.
This was in contrast to the previous government’s policy to allow a grace period of 12 months after completing their tertiary education to pay back their loans.
Najib today said that if BN were still in power, the situation for PTPTN borrowers would be different.
“In Islam, if you borrow you must pay back. But in the past, BN did not force the borrowers. If they had RM100, they can pay. If they had RM50, they can also pay – as long as you paid, even if it was just a little bit,” he said.
Participants at the dialogue today fielded some 30 questions, mostly on the promises that PH had failed to fulfil.
Najib also touched on the issue of fuel subsidies, criticising PH for not keeping its promise of bringing down petrol price to RM1.50.
PH has instead said it would bring back the Automatic Price Mechanism (APM), where fuel prices are fixed for a specified period despite global crude oil price fluctuations.
Najib said many Malaysians regretted voting for PH.
“I read the comments on my Facebook. Some were sorry for voting PH and, now that they know the truth, they regret having voted for them.
“There are many here who are not happy with PH. Even my social media postings have received extraordinary reception. The voters have been fooled – the young, the taxi drivers, even the government servants,” he said.
Najib said Umno and BN lost in the May general election due to slander and false promises.
“If it had been an open field, we would have won,” he said.
The former Umno president said he had no plans to start a new party, adding that he would remain loyal to Umno and BN.
“Umno and BN are my flesh and blood.”.
Najib also criticised Umno MPs who left the party.
“When they can no longer handle the pressure, there are those who decide to hop to another party in the wee hours of the night, joining PPBM,” he said, in an apparent reference to Jeli MP Mustapa Mohamed.