Sabah’s ruling party, Gagasan, has taken aim at Warisan’s pledge to settle study loans for working adult Sabahans, with its information chief Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan calling the initiative a recycled election promise that failed to materialise when the party was in power.

Nizam accused Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal of “selling old promises with new packaging” in a bid to woo young voters ahead of the state election.

“The people of Sabah still remember when he was chief minister from 2018 to 2020. He did not implement any concrete education policies that truly benefited the people.

“Now, after losing power and becoming the opposition, he comes out with promises of the moon and the stars, as if the people easily forget the true record of his administration,” he said in a statement issued via the party’s Facebook page.

Nizam said the current state government under Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor had instead focused on delivering tangible education initiatives without manipulating youth debt to lure votes.

He said the provision of financial aid for students from low-income families, direct allocations to Sabahans studying abroad, and the upgrading of dilapidated rural schools were measures that were never carried out during Shafie’s tenure.

Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal first made the pledge in Semporna at a student aid handover event over the weekend.

The move, he said, was aimed at easing the burden of working graduates who are still paying off their student debts while struggling to support themselves.

He also said he would write off or repay debts incurred through Yayasan Sabah and the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN).

“Graduates who are working but still burdened by PTPTN debt, who struggle to pay rent or even afford a car, I will settle their loans. The money will be reserved for Anak Sabah,” he said.

He also promised full scholarships for local students in fields such as medicine and engineering once the state’s finances are strong enough, framing the plan as an investment in Sabah’s next generation.

No Malaysian state has ever fully written off PTPTN loans, although Sarawak introduced a partial repayment scheme in 2021 that cleared 30 percent of eligible debts. – August 4, 2025