The BN government is taking a political risk if it continues to slash the budget allocation for higher education, said Mahasiswa Amanah.

The student group affiliated with Parti Amanah Negara said cuts like the RM2.4 billion reduction for the higher education ministry in Budget 2016 would impact the four million-plus first-time voters - many of whom are tertiary students.

"We urge the government not to fool around with the people.

"Cut the rising allocations for the Prime Minister's Department, which grows by the year, and prioritise cutting graft and abuse of power so we can save billions of ringgit," Mahasiswa Amanah chief Ahmad Fadhli Umar Aminolhuda said in a statement.