Pity PTPTN - or should we?

The Star, 8th Nov. 2011.

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Laziness and forgetfulness. These were among the lame excuses used by several National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan defaulters when questioned why they had dodged repayments when the New Straits Times did a mini survey yesterday.

 

An executive with a private firm, who wished to be known only as Kayla, said she did not repay her RM3,000 loan since the 2005 application because she had forgotten all about it. "I had applied for a Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship but due to a late reply from the PSD, PTPTN had already banked-in money for my first semester." She said her studies were later fully funded by the scholarship and the PTPTN loan was forgotten. Late last year, PTPTN sent a legal notice to my old address informing me to appear in court but I was unaware of it." The 24-year-old added she was now blacklisted and not allowed to leave the country without repaying the loan.

Another defaulter, who wished to be known only as Malik, said he stopped repaying the loan after a career change. "I just got lazy as my particulars had changed and there are too many forms to fill for a new address," said the 27-year-old advertising agent. Malik said he had only paid less than RM500 of his RM28,000 loan.

Private school teacher Veronica Anthony said loan defaulters were putting graduates who were repaying their loans in a bad light. "I am paying more than RM160 each month and wish to clear my RM48,000 loan as soon as possible." She said PTPTN authorities should provide more information on their website on how to make repayments as many graduates were clueless.

Polymer engineer Agilan Suparmaniam agreed that many defaulters did not know the proper channels to repay their loans. "I believe every graduate should be able to repay a minimum of RM80 each month, which I am currently paying to PTPTN." Agilan added it was his fifth month in repaying his RM28,000 loan.

PTPTN chairman Datuk Ismail Mohamed Said said he was compiling data and would hold a press conference on the matter today.

 

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Should we pity our PTPTN? That is where some of my tax money goes to. It went off to some ungrateful people who just refuse to understand the term "HUTANG".

 

If you pay RM160 per month to pay off your RM48,000 study loan, you will need 300 months to settle off, or 25 years.

If you pay only RM80 per month for your RM28,000 loan, you will need 350 months or 29.2 years to clear off your study debt. What a whopping unimaginable unacceptable stupidity!

25 years ago, about the year 1986, a cup of coffee may cost you around 60 cents. Today it costs about RM1.50. What's the price of a cup of coffee 25 years from now? RM5 perhaps? This is a cup of KOPI O from a mamak or warong stall you know. I'm not talking about Coffee Bean, Starbucks or San Fransicso coffee here.

 

People refuse to pay the loan since there have been zero harsh action ever taken and publicized widely in the media. What they can do, I suggest:

1. Ensure the people are blacklisted in CTOS or CCRIS - cannot take loan for car or house or personal loan.
2. Cannot go overseas - betul ka sudah enforce?
3. Start to publicize the hard core who hutang only RM5,000 pon tak mau bayar. What a shame! And you call yourself graduates??

 Haiya, next time if you want to hire people, must ask - ada hutang PTPTN? Sudah bayar? Ada niat mahu bayar?

This is exactly why my dear JPA loan giver embedded the ayat Quran and Hadith in every statement of loan sent monthly to its students. If you dont start to pay up, either you will lead a miserable life (now and later) or your soul will be hanging around in between the bumi and langit. It has been clearly stated.

 

Basically, start lah to pay up. Please lah increase your contribution the moment your salary goes up. I am proud to announce that my loan balance has now become only 4 digits. Bravo!!!! This is from 6 digits mind you. Asked to pay up to 5 digits. Sikit2, lama2 jadi bukit. Just like investment, practice Dollar Cost Averaging.

JPA Style - The Upgraded Version

Somehow this month the JPA's bill for Tuntutan Bayaran Balik Pinjaman looks different. First I thought it's the quality of the paper, rougher. Then the big logo in the middle. Then only today I realized, JPA has changed the ayat Quran used to remind people to pay up. Now they are quoting a hadith. Here goes:

Sabda  Rasullullah yang diriwayatkan oleh Abu Hurairah r.a. yg bermaksud "Roh seorang mukmin yg berhutang jika hutangnya tidak dijelaskan, maka tergantung-gantunglah ia di antara langit dan bumi, yg bererti tersiksalah roh itu hingga dibayarkan hutangnya itu".

 

Wah, this is great. Kutip hutang sambil beramal. Such a great idea. I don't know what PTPTN has done to collect the RM2b or so from the errant loan defaulters. They should try this approach. To block people from leaving for overseas is also good, but maybe they can try this approach as well. Alamat sudah tidak wujud, that sounds incredible. There should be a body set up to ensure PTPTN can collect back all those money.

 

Knowing Malaysians household is having among the highest loans in the world, it is not surprising that people will put loans on low interest, or no interest at all (like JPA's), as the last to be paid up in their priority list. I was actually very surprised to note that some of the higher level people in my organization are encouraging people to take up personal loan to settle all the various other loans. It's like opening a new hole to cover all the old many holes. Only this one hole is huge, eat you up for the next 20 years. *sigh*.

 

OK Mr. JPA. Your reminder in terms of ayat Quran and Hadith have really gotten into me. I am paying up more amount these days. Promise.

Is Organ Donation considered as Sedekah Jariah?

I have not read any articles lately which promote our organs for donation to the needy. Is the subject too sensitive? I'm sure it won't be such a case when you or your family members are in need of it.

I have with me here a booklet entitles Mati Otak & Pendermaan Organ. When your brain is dead, even though your heart may still be beating, but you are still considered dead. This is since it is the brain that controls all the bodily functions. Normally brain dead patients are put on ventilator and is in coma. If you decide to sign up as donor, they can switch the machine off faster since the fate is still the same, you are already dead.

If you are a Muslim, we all know that all that we have are only loans from Allah. Shall we give some that we have to benefit others? I think that organ donation is part of sedekah jariah, or pencen akhirat. But I have not got a concrete proof of this. Perhaps our Jabatan Agama can do more promotion on this, to benefit the patients in this world, and the donor in the hereafter.

Organs that you can donate are heart, liver, skin, bone, pancreas, cornea, hepar (hati) and kidney. Would you sign up? I am more likely to sign up once I am brain dead lah!
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Arowana Stay or Go?

2 out of 3 arowana at the lobby. Do they count in the due diligence? Fixed assets? Depreciation value or potential hike in value? Will be auctioned off?

If only the arowanas could talk...they have surely seen it all.
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Al-Qasas

Antara kupasan dalam terjemahan surah Al-Qasas, Allah memujuk rasulullah supaya jgn bersedih bila kaum kafir di Mekah menolak ajakan baginda utk memeluk islam. Allah menyuruh supaya rasulullah kuatkan semangat sebagaimana kuatnya semangat Nabi Musa semasa menentang firaun. Bila org kaya di Mekah persoalkan ajaran rasulullah, Allah bagi perbandingan kisah Qarun. Jgn lah berbangga sgt dgn harta kekayaan yg diberi, kalau Allah nak ambil, anytime. Seperti harta Qarun, dia dan hartanya sekali diterbalikkan dan ditelan bumi dlm sekelip mata.

Bersyukurlah dgn apa yg kita miliki. Semuanya milik Allah, hanya diberi pinjam.

Rupanya nama Nabi Musa disebut 122 kali dalam Al-Quran. Allah saja tinggalkan piramid dan segala harta Firaun di Mesir supaya ia menjadi peringatan kepada umat manusia hingga akhir zaman. Semua yg ada, ada byk maknanya.

Semoga Allah murahkan rezeki aku lagi, boleh pegi melawat Mesir pulak. Mudah-mudahan boleh menziarah ke Bukit Tursina, tempat Allah berkata-kata direct dgn Nabi Musa. Amin....
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My Favourite Sushi

I can eat this for 1kg.
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Senang Buat Pahala Berbanding Dosa

Dalam kitab karangan ulama' Sufi Syaikh Abd al-Shamad al-Jawi al-Falimbani yang bertajuk 'Jalan Kemuliaan Ahli Sufi'  telah diriwayatkan sebuah hadis oleh Anas r.a :

 Telah bersabda Rasulullah SAW "Apabila seorang hamba melakukan dosa, maka dituliskan atasnya."

 Maka bertanya seorang Arab Badwi :  "Jika dia taubat..?"

Maka Rasulullah SAW menjawab: "Jika dia taubat dihapuskan dosa itu daripadanya."

Badwi itu bertanya lagi: "Jika dia mengulanginya..?"

Rasulullah SAW menjawab: "Dituliskan pula atasnya."

 Badwi itu bertanya lagi: "Sampai bila..?

Rasulullah SAW menjawab: "Sehingga dia mengucapkan istighfar dan bertaubat kepada Allah Taala daripada dosa-dosanya. Sesungguhnya Allah Taala tidak pernah bosan mengampuni hamba-Nya hinggalah hamba-Nya itu bosan memohon keampunan daripada-Nya.

Apabila seorang hamba bercita-cita hendak melakukan kebaikan, maka malaikat yang di sebelah kanannya akan menuliskan baginya satu kebaikan, dan jika dia mengerjakan kebaikan itu , maka dituliskan pula baginya sepuluh kebajikan, yang kemudiannya  digandakan lagi menjadi tujuh ratus kali ganda oleh Allah Taala.

Sebaliknya, seorang hamba yang  bercita-cita hendak melakukan kejahatan, maka tidak dituliskan lagi baginya satu kejahatan. Jika dia telah melakukannya,

maka barulah dituliskan baginya satu kejahatan dan disebaliknya itu masih terbentang sebaik-baik kemaafan daripada  Allah 'Azza wa Jalla."