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Focus Malaysia
a day ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Shafie's Spotify playlist: 2018 broken promises on loop
AMID the looming Sabah state election, Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal is reaching for his old playbook. Once again, he is promising to cancel student loans, hand out free education and restructure Yayasan Sabah into some kind of financial utopia. To the untrained eye, this might sound fresh and inspiring. To Sabahans who remember 2018 to 2020 when he was the chief minister, it's bull excrement. The proposal to abolish PTPTN (National Higher Education Fund Corporation) and Yayasan Sabah loans is not new. In fact, it's almost a word-for-word re-run of what Shafie uttered back when Warisan was in power. The only thing missing is an admission that he had two full years to deliver on these promises but somehow never fulfilled his promise. What happened between 2018 and 2020? Let's be clear. Shafie was not just a regular Sabah state assemblyman during that period. As chief minister he could have picked up the phone to call Yayasan Sabah and said, 'Let's wipe out these loans'. But no such call came. There were no sweeping reforms. No cancelled loans. No full scholarships. Not even a symbolic RM100 rebate. Now, with the state election clock ticking, are we supposed to believe that it will be different this time around? That this time, once he's back in power, he will finally deliver the things he conveniently 'forgot' to do the last time? Sabahans aren't naïve. They remember campaign theatre when they see it. GRS is doing all the work While Warisan replays old campaign narratives like a broken record, the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS)-led state government under Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has quietly focused on delivering results. No fireworks, no drama – just policies that matter. Take the Higher Education Registration Assistance Fund for B40 students. Or the expansion of the Sabah Maju Jaya Scholarship. Or the increased allocations to Yayasan Sabah for real, functioning scholarships – not just promises at media conferences. Add to that the re-development of rural schools and targeted aid for out-of-state Sabahan students, one can expect to have a record that speaks louder than slogans. This isn't about who can shout the loudest during campaign season. It's about who did the work when the cameras were off. Sabahans deserve better than campaign nostalgia It's easy to make big promises when you're not the one holding the cheque book. But leadership is about doing, not dreaming. Shafie had his chance. He didn't abolish any loans. He didn't offer sweeping scholarships. He didn't transform Yayasan Sabah. Now he returns with the same promises he failed to deliver before, hoping that voters have short memories. But Sabahans possess elephant-like memory. They remember the silence after the speeches. The lack of follow-through. The old wine in a re-cycled bottle. The choice is not between new and old in the upcoming state polls. It's between action and nostalgia. One side is rolling up its sleeves. The other is flipping through an old script, hoping that nobody notices the re-run. Sabah deserves better than re-runs. It deserves results. – Aug 11, 2025 Main image credit: Shafie Apdal/Facebook
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Sabah minister denies daughter linked to Zara Qairina's death
BANGI: Sabah Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif has denied claims that his daughter was involved in the death of a student at a religious school in Sabah. Mohd Arifin's denial follows a social media post alleging that a student named Farisha, claimed to be his daughter, was involved in the incident. "I do not have a child by that name, nor do I have a child studying at the school concerned," Mohd Arifin said to reporters at the Sabah State Government Scholarship (BKNS) Roadshow with Sabah undergraduates at the Bangi Avenue Convention Centre today. The student, Zara Qairina Mahathir, was found unconscious after reportedly falling from her school dormitory building in Papar, Sabah, on July 16. She was confirmed dead the next day at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital (HQE I). Following the case, social media was abuzz with allegations that the death involved elements of bullying and implicated several children of VIPs and influential individuals. Arifin said that while Zara Qairina was being treated in hospital, he, along with the Education director-general and an entourage, had visited the student's mother. Four days after Zara Qairina's death, he, together with a delegation from Yayasan Sabah and the Sindumin state assemblyman, also visited the student's family in Sipitang to convey condolences from Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor. "We will await the results of the police investigation and we will not compromise with any party over anything that has happened involving the student. We hope the open investigation will continue in the interest of justice for the student," he said.
Daily Express
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
Warisan to settle PTPTN debts if possible
Published on: Tuesday, August 05, 2025 Published on: Tue, Aug 05, 2025 By: Abbey Junior Text Size: Warisan president Shafie Apdal congratulating high-scoring secondary school students at an event in his constituency of Semporna, Sabah, today. (Facebook pic) SEMPORNA: Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said a future Warisan-led state government will assist Sabahans in settling their National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans if Yayasan Sabah has sufficient financial resources. He said although PTPTN is a federal agency, the state could do what Sarawak has done by helping its students repay their outstanding loans. Shafie, who is also MP for Semporna and Assemblyman for Senallang, reiterated that this was in line with his earlier pledge in 2018 to restructure Yayasan Sabah to serve its original purpose of empowering Sabahans through education. He also said loan assistance would include civil servants, both active and retired, who are still servicing Yayasan Sabah education loans. 'The foundation must have the money – not other people who use it to buy over our elected representatives,' he said, without elaborating. In 2021, the Sarawak government, through Yayasan Sarawak, signed an MoU with PTPTN to help Sarawak borrowers repay their student loans. Under this scheme, those who had settled at least 30pc of their PTPTN loans were eligible for a 30pc repayment incentive on the remaining balance. Advertisement As of 2023, the initiative had disbursed over RM90 million and benefited more than 25,000 Sarawakian borrowers, with continued allocations in the state budgets for 2024 and 2025. Shafie stressed that education would remain central to Warisan's approach, alongside long-term economic reforms and industrial development. He also took aim at ongoing basic infrastructure problems in Sabah, such as the water crisis at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), calling it a 'human problem' that should not be politicised or used to penalise students. 'This is about basic needs — clean water to drink, bathe and live. When students protest, they are investigated. That's not how we solve problems,' he said. Shafie said that if Warisan is returned to power, the state would focus on building a knowledge-based society, investing in youth, and creating jobs through entrepreneurship and strategic resource development. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Borneo Post
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Nizam slams Shafie's 'old promises in new packaging'
Nizam KOTA KINABALU (Aug 4): Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, has cautioned Sabahans — especially the youth — not to be swayed by what he described as 'old promises in new packaging' ahead of the upcoming state election. Responding to Parti Warisan President Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal's recent pledge to abolish student loans such as PTPTN and Yayasan Sabah funding while offering full scholarships to Sabahan students, Nizam said the proposals amounted to 'political theatre recycled for election season.' 'The people of Sabah are not forgetful. We are not easily swayed by recycled promises beautifully wrapped in campaign rhetoric,' Nizam said in a statement today. He questioned Shafie's commitment to education during his tenure as Chief Minister from 2018 to 2020, pointing out that no loan cancellations, new bursaries, or special education funds were introduced at the time. In contrast, Nizam said the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government under Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor has focused on delivering tangible results, citing several key initiatives: Higher Education Registration Assistance Fund for B40 students, Sabah Maju Jaya Scholarship to expand higher education access, increased allocations to Yayasan Sabah for scholarships and aid, redevelopment of dilapidated rural schools, and special assistance for Sabahan students studying out of state.
Free Malaysia Today
02-08-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
In election pledge, Warisan offers to write off student debts
Warisan president Shafie Apdal congratulating high-scoring secondary school students at an event in his constituency of Semporna, Sabah, today. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : Warisan has promised to write off outstanding student loans taken by Sabahans should the party form the state government after the coming state elections. Party president Shafie Apdal, a former chief minister, also promised free education for the people of Sabah should Warisan win in the next state election, the Jesselton Times reported. He also reiterated that he would restructure Yayasan Sabah. 'I will ensure that all wealth returns to Yayasan Sabah, and I will provide free scholarships if this foundation has sufficient funds for the underprivileged children of Sabah. 'I will also abolish loans for government officials, whether they are currently serving or retired, who have debts with Yayasan Sabah,' he was quoted as saying. His offer would also apply to those who took student loans from the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN). Separately, Malaysiakini reported Shafie as saying that Warisan would also provide full scholarships for Sabahans wishing to further their studies at universities once the state's finances are secure, calling it an investment in the next generation. He said the scholarships would target key disciplines such as engineering and medicine. The Sabah state assembly's five-year term expires on Nov 11, unless dissolved sooner. Elections must be held within 60 days of dissolution.
