'Help Sabah students first, before Palestinians' - Darell Leiking

KOTA KINABALU - There are still many students in this country, especially in Sabah, who need to be prioritised in terms of assistance regarding fees and study costs, said Moyog state assemblyman, Datuk Darell Leiking.

He hoped that the government would not forget the locals when it decided to waive tuition fees for Palestinian students studying at universities in this country.

"There are thousands of Malaysian students who need assistance with the fees and costs of furthering their studies at either public or private universities.

"They should be given priority, not foreigners.

"I know it sounds arrogant to some, but for me, if the Madani government thinks this is a way to help the Palestinian people, maybe the Madani government should do the same for the people of Sabah first, especially for those studying in universities in the Peninsula," he wrote on a Facebook post Thursday.

Darell was responding to a statement by the Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, on the exemption of tuition fees for a period of one year for more than 600 Palestinian students who were studying at public universities in this country.

Furthermore, Darell, who is also the former member of parliament for Penampang, said this is because he himself and many colleagues have received many requests from students who are burdened by high costs to enter universities, especially from those who did not get a placement at Universiti Malaysia Sabah or do not receive scholarships.

"Many have been helped privately, but when the government waives fees for non-Malaysians, I think we need to draw a line, whether we like it or not.

"Any government must put its people first, and the people of Sabah must be put first, no matter what," he wrote.