KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has rebuked National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) borrowers who refuse to repay their loans.
Speaking at a local university here today, Dr Mahathir said the government was owed some RM36 billion in unpaid student loans.
He also said the government has spent a large amount of money on PTPTN loans so that poorer Malaysians could pursue their tertiary education locally or abroad.
He said however, many students refused to repay their loans, thus depriving others the opportunity of obtaining student loans.
"As a result of this, today we have RM36 billion worth of unpaid study loans under PTPTN. I am ashamed but they (borrowers) are not.
“It’s not like they can’t afford it. They are earning RM2,000 and only have to pay back RM100 a month but they just don’t feel like paying.
“Sometimes, we find people who go to jail... and don’t even feel shame. They can still smile.
“We also find some Malaysian are not trustworthy especially when it comes to paying loans or money borrowed," he said during a lecture at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Kuala Lumpur here today.
Present were Education Minister Maszlee Malik and UTM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Wahid Omar.
The lecture centred on the rejuvenation of Malaysia’s Look East Policy by creating greater collaborations with Japan in the fields of education, training and investment.
Dr Mahathir also said Malaysians should emulate Japanese values and culture if they want to succeed in life.
He said Malaysians should have a sense of shame, be trustworthy and hardworking.
"I have lent to my friends and family members. But they never return it to me. When they see me, (they) just smile only," he said.
He also said Malaysians should not be too laid back or lazy.
"When I did my Senior Cambridge (examinations), I only had 3As, unlike others who had 5 to 6As. So, I decided to read my books about three to 10 times in order to memorise and this made it easier for me when I sat for my exams."
He said success would come naturally if one was hardworking despite lagging behind others in terms of results.
Dr Mahathir said it was important for Malaysians to inculcate good values when it came to acquiring knowledge.
In his speech, the prime minister suggested the setting up of a Japanese university in Malaysia.
"It is very costly for us to go to Japan to study now as the cost of living is high. If we build a university here, it will be cheaper and students from other poor countries can also come and study here," he said.