KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The move to blacklist National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan defaulters from leaving the country by the previous government is unfair, said Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching.

She said this was the reason why the Pakatan Harapan government, through its manifesto for the 14th general election, pledged to remove the loan defaulters’ names from the Immigration Department blacklist.

“The pledge was made because every citizen has a right to freedom of movement.

“If you look at those who take loans from banks, their names will not be placed on the Immigration Department blacklist if they stop paying or are inconsistent in their repayments.

“Their names will only be blacklisted after they are declared bankrupt,” she said.

She said this in reply to a supplementary question from Dr Azman Ismail (PH-Kuala Kedah) who asked why the Government made the pledge to lift the travel ban on PTPTN loan defaulters at the Dewan Rakyat sitting here Monday.

Last month, PTPTN chairman Wan Saiful Wan Jan said that the names of 429,945 loan defaulters have been removed from the Immigration Department blacklist in stages beginning May 24.

He said the “whitening” process of the borrowers' names was completed June 8. – Bernama