Column - Why attack academic merit?

IT is no surprise that Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming has come out once again in his tireless crusade to undo the converting of loans to scholarship based solely on merit.
In 2012, the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) announced that students scoring a first class degree could convert their loans into scholarships.
While private scholarships would require you to attend interviews and fill in forms and answer questions on how you would change society or serve a corporation, this student loan just required you to score in your studies.
Up to April 30, 2014, this allowed some 25,277 students to not have to service their education loans, based solely on the merit of their studies. I have yet to find any update on the current figures of those exempted from repaying their PTPTN loans.
This initiative is a good one, for the simple fact that it grants the ability of students who excel in their studies to be unburdened by debt, and can subsequently have access to other loans.
For those not in the know, not paying your PTPTN will now affect your credit score and your ability to apply for loans and hire purchase – in other words, not paying would mean the inability to buy a house, or a car, or even apply for a credit card.
Only thing I can say is this – it is about time the government took a harsh stance on this. As highlighted last October, the number of people who have yet to repay their loans totals 753,058.
The amount owed – RM5.191 billion.
And now that the fund is slowly lowering the amount of money given out due to financial constraints, apparently it must now stop rewarding academic excellence as well, according to the Serdang MP.
In fact, he even goes further to ask for the removal of a 1% interest rate on the education loan repayments under the Ujrah repayment scheme, only asking people to start paying when their incomes reach RM3,500.
Allow me, at this juncture, to ask a pointed question out loud – a car loan currently goes at an average rate of 3% a year for seven years maximum.
Meanwhile, the PTPTN allows you a 15-year period maximum at 1% interest.
And yet, people are having problems servicing their PTPTN loans with a salary of below RM3,500 compared to buying a car?
While Ong on his blog details the financial position of the PTPTN from 2011 to 2014, showing growing losses in collecting loan payments, he omits a huge point.
Who was it that told a whole generation of students not to pay their student loans because their party "fought for free education"?
The inability of the PTPTN to collect funds is systemic due to the fact that multiple "someone's" decided to tell the general public not to pay this education fund – simply to win the votes of the youth.
This quagmire that is the inability of the PTPTN to collect debts is one caused by the careless words uttered by those who wish to win cheap votes in an election. And now, even those who worked hard to score a first class degree can apparently expect no respite.
What is truly needed in Malaysia is to hold its people accountable for their actions – even if it means taking loans and failing to score a first class degree. It is part and parcel of meritocracy.
It is true that more needs to be done to ensure the sustainability of the PTPTN. But it should not be done by punishing brilliant students. Instead, why not link the PTPTN loan defaulter list to the EPF and bar them from saving up for their retirement?
Personally, if they don't bother helping people join the workforce, why should they be allowed to save for retirement?
At the same time, compulsory deductions for the PTPTN should also be considered in the future, especially when those already working refuse to pay.
These are the kind of harsh actions the government should be considering instead of withdrawing the privilege of first class degree holders.
Hafidz is a public relations practitioner. He has worked with GLCs, the media industry and NGOs. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com