SEREMBAN, June 15 (Bernama) -- A total of 5,953 police personnel and members of other agencies will be deployed throughout the Negeri Sembilan state election period to ensure the democratic process proceeds smoothly and remains orderly. State police chief Datuk Alzafny Ahmad said the figure comprises 4,845 senior police officers and rank-and-file personnel, while the remainder will serve as support personnel, including members of the People’s Volunteer Corps (RELA) and police volunteer reserve. “We are maintaining a high level of readiness through various comprehensive preparations that have been put in place from the outset, including security measures, traffic control, monitoring of campaign activities, law enforcement, and preparations for any eventuality throughout the election period,” he told Bernama today. He said the police would continue to conduct ongoing assessments and have not ruled out the possibility of seeking additional assistance from other contingents if necessary to strengthen existing resources and ensure operational requirements are carried out more effectively. Meanwhile, Alzafny said the police would continue to respect the right of all parties to conduct campaign activities as provided for under the law. “Accordingly, security monitoring and control measures will be intensified to ensure that all campaign activities, including political ceramah, party processions and election-related programmes, are conducted peacefully and in compliance with regulations set by the authorities,” he said. He said stern action would be taken against any individual or party found violating the law, inciting provocation, or engaging in any act that could disrupt public order and undermine the smooth conduct of the democratic process. He also urged all political parties, candidates, supporters and members of the public to uphold a culture of political maturity, respect differing views and comply with the law throughout the campaign period. The public was also advised not to engage in any form of provocation, dissemination of false information, or actions that could create tension and jeopardise social harmony. The Election Commission (EC) has set Aug 1 as polling day for the Negeri Sembilan state election, with nomination day on July 18 and early voting on July 28. -- BERNAMA

10,000 underprivileged students benefit from RM210 million BAeK PTPTN allocation

KULAI: The National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) has allocated RM210 million through the Biasiswa Anak eKasih (PTPTN BAeK) which will benefit 10,000 poor and extremely poor students this year.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir said the number increased compared to 5,800 students with an allocation of RM120 million announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during Budget 2026 in October last year.

“According to the latest announcement under the Malaysian Higher Education Plan (RPTM) 2026-2035, the number of recipients of the PTPTN scholarship or free education initiative has been increased to 10,000 students from poor families,” he said at a press conference after the PTPTN BAeK handover session to two recipients in Johor.

Also present were PTPTN Chairman, Datuk Seri Norliza Abdul Rahim; PTPTN Chief Executive, Ahmad Dasuki Abdul Majid and State Director, Johor PTPTN State Office, Mazni Ruslan.

Zambry said that the selected students are registered in the eKasih database and are pursuing full-time Diploma or Bachelor’s degree studies at Public Higher Education Institutions (IPTA) starting Jan 1.

In this regard, he also called on the public and public higher education institutions to also inform PTPTN if there are students from the relevant group who are eligible to receive benefits under the initiative.

Meanwhile, Norliza said, as of May 31, the PTPTN BAeK has benefited 402 students nationwide with a total allocation of RM8.79 million since it was first introduced this year.

He said the scholarship is offered to local students aged not more than 25 years old on the application date and the course being followed is registered with PTPTN, has an active SSPN savings account, no loan arrears and the remaining period of study at the time of application is not less than one semester.

He said that students will be offered scholarships of RM4,750 per year for Diploma and RM6,180 per year for Bachelor’s Degree (Arts) and RM6,650 per year for Bachelor’s Degree (Science)

According to him, PTPTN loan applications must be made via the myPTPTN web application and the PTPTN loan will be approved first, to ensure the continuity of the student’s studies before being offered a PTPTN BAeK if they meet the eligibility requirements.

Students will then be notified via email and notification message on the myPTPTN application and must physically return the offer document at any PTPTN counter within 14 days from the date of the scholarship offer letter, thus explaining that the scholarship payment is given each semester.

Earlier, Alin Nairien Wong Mohd Allif Wong, 20, and Muhammad Amar Khoo Arif Khoo, 21 expressed relief and gratitude after being selected to receive the PTPTN BAeK benefits, which were described as being able to ease the family’s financial burden and help them continue their studies with more peace of mind.

Alin Nairien, who comes from Tanjung Sedili Town near Kota Tinggi and is pursuing a Diploma in Event Management at Ibrahim Sultan Polytechnic (PIS), said she has been dependent on her mother and eldest brother’s income since her father’s death in 2019.

“This scholarship eases the burden on my mother and brother. I feel more motivated to continue studying hard and make them happy one day,” said the second of three siblings.

Meanwhile, a Bachelor’s degree student in Cyber ​​Security at the Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), Muhammad Amar, who lives in Taman Putri, here, expressed his gratitude to the government and PTPTN for the assistance he received.

The scholarship, he said, can reduce the financial burden his father has to bear to support him and his two other siblings.

The handover of PTPTN BAeK will continue next week involving two recipients from Melaka.

— BERNAMA

Related News