PTPTN: Why a former activist is now supporting travel bans? - MCA Youth

SHAH ALAM – Deputy Higher Education Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim has been urged to issue a public apology to the people and the previous government, particularly Barisan Nasional (BN), for "politicising" the policies of the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN).

MCA Youth Deputy Chief Mike Chong Yew Chuan stated that PTPTN policies, which were once portrayed as "oppressive," are now being acknowledged as necessary after Pakatan Harapan (PH) assumed power.

He stated that Adam Adli’s recent support for a proposal to reimpose overseas travel bans on PTPTN borrowers fundamentally contradicts his previous stance as a student activist and Opposition leader.

“Adam Adli may have forgotten how, as a student activist around 2010, he fought to abolish PTPTN, which included sleeping in tents at Dataran Merdeka and marching in the streets.

“Some participants even carried tombstones alongside portraits of the then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin adorned with garlands.

“At that time, Adam Adli not only strongly opposed such moves but also accused the BN government of being cruel and indifferent to the fate of the youth,” he said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

Previously, media reports quoted Adam Adli stating that overseas travel bans would only be targeted at high-income PTPTN borrowers who possess sufficient means but "deliberately fail" to repay their loans.

He clarified that firm action would not be taken against fresh graduates, those without an income, or individuals within the B40 and M40 groups.

However, Mike challenged the Deputy Minister to put forward more effective and practical proposals if he possessed superior ideas to address the issue.

“The public, especially young people, has the right to judge who is truly responsible for safeguarding the future of the nation’s education and who merely scatters promises and political rhetoric,” Mike said.

He added that the measures taken by the previous government to deal with defaulting PTPTN borrowers were responsible and based on public interest and the sustainability of the national education fund.

“Travel restrictions were introduced as a last-resort mechanism to ensure capable borrowers fulfil their obligations, ensuring the next generation can enjoy the same benefits.

“This proves that past criticisms were not based on administrative realities, but were driven purely by political motives,” he concluded.