Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) chairman Annuar Musa today dared critics of the agency to vote out Umno in the next general election.

"If you don't like Mara, then (go ahead) and amend the Federal Constitution. But we (Umno) will defend it.

"If you find a new angel and Umno is the new devil, vote us out!" he told over 200 students who gathered at UniKL today during a ceremony to present letters of acceptance for Mara student loan applicants.

While stressing that Umno can accept that it is not free from shortcomings, Annuar said there is a big difference between people who can only criticise and those appointed to work for the people.

He also quipped that eating free food, not paying back loans and criticising others were "some of the best things in the world".

"All this while, we have allocated RM2 billion every year for sponsorships without making any noise.

"But when recently there has been a slight problem, we need time to make adjustments," said Annuar who is UniKL pro-chancellor, in reference to reports of students who are facing financial difficulties allegedly due to a delay in approval of their Mara loan applications.

He claimed that such reports were written by journalists with the intention of "spinning stories" and attacking government agencies such as Mara, that are helping the Malays and bumiputera.

"Please have sympathy for us. Sometimes politicians today are treated like we are pariahs..," he said in advising journalists to stop such attacks through stories that supposedly only highlighted Mara shortcomings.

Annuar also said such stories had gone viral on social media and made it seem like Mara has abandoned its responsibilities to help bumiputera students further their education.

"There was someone who took out a first-year UniKL student for drinks and then recorded (the story).

"Because of that one person, (critics) forgot that UniKL is the only university where up to 90 percent of its students are sponsored by Mara," he said, adding that the agency has sponsored over 75,000 students since UniKL's inception.

While Annuar did not specifically refer to any video, he made references to an online portal and unnamed blogs.

On Feb 6, Malaysiakini had reported on the plight of several students , including one from UniKL, who said they were facing financial difficulties due to uncertainty regarding the status of their Mara loan applications.

'Criticise BN but vote BN'

Annuar, who recalled his time as a student leader in the 1970s, also said he understood the idealism felt by students who wanted to champion various issues affecting society.

"If you (students) are critical, it does not mean that you do not support the government. It is okay. Criticise BN but vote BN.

"Sometimes in front of you are all devils but you vote for the better devil. Nothing wrong with that," he said.

At the same time, he reiterated that Umno and the government are open to the fact that it will face endless criticisms.