Syed Saddiq’s RM400,000 scholarship questioned

(The Star) – Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s claim he received a RM400,000 scholarship to study at Oxford University has come under question after checks on the university’s website brings the course’s annual fee to just over RM224,000.

The Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Pribumi) Youth chief claimed he was granted a scholarship worth about RM400,000 for his studies.

However, according to Oxford’s Master of Public Policy website, the course’s annual fee only comes up to £39,992 (RM224,095) for the 2017-2018 intake.

Furthermore, an Oxford University representative revealed that Syed Saddiq was only granted a partial scholarship.

Although the representative did not reveal the value of the partial scholarship, the representative said that it was less than the full cost of the course.

Update

In a response Wednesday, Syed Saddiq said that the cost included living expenses, bringing the amount up to £56,475 (RM316,598).

“In total, I received £70,000, including the scholarship from my faculty,” he said, adding that the amount includes the cost of flight tickets and visa costs.

However, when asked who his sponsors were, he said that “information is with Oxford University”.

End Update

On Monday, Syed Saddiq claimed during a press conference that he was offered RM5mil to leave the country, and that his family had been harassed.

He said he had decided to defer his Masters in Public Policy at Oxford University in Britain for the coming academic year.