PN Proposes RM500 Cash Aid and Free University Education for Needy Malaysians

KUALA LUMPUR – Perikatan Nasional (PN) has unveiled an alternative welfare proposal in response to Budget 2026, pledging direct financial and educational support to Malaysians.

Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin (PN-Larut) announced that PN would introduce a RM500 cash assistance under its Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN) scheme, claiming it offers greater flexibility than the government’s Rahmah Necessities Aid (Sara) programme, which provides credit-based aid through participating stores.

He argued that BPN would directly meet people’s needs, unlike the conditional Sara initiative. “We in PN will give aid, and we will give to the people what they need,” Hamzah said in Parliament.

Cash Aid and Free University

PN also pledged free undergraduate education for needy Malaysians, with merit-based scholarships for students pursuing strategic fields. Hamzah added that PN plans to grant greater autonomy to public universities, supported through an Endowment Fund aimed at strengthening research institutions.

The proposals, presented as part of PN’s counteroffer to the government’s 2026 budget, position the coalition’s welfare approach as more inclusive and direct compared to the Madani administration’s structured credit system.

Business News