‘Suggestion not made by us’

PETALING JAYA: A suggestion to bring back the travel ban for National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan defaulters was not made by the corporation itself.

PTPTN chairman Wan Saiful Wan Jan said the suggestion was actually raised by a member of the audience during a briefing session on the corporation’s ongoing public consultation exercise.

Wan Saiful said the immigration blacklist idea was not even among the 10 main ideas which were opened to public feedback in the consultation exercise.

“At present, these are just ideas we collected from stakeholders and which we are presenting to the public for debate.

“No decision has been made,” he told The Star in response to reports that PTPTN was mulling a re-introduction of the immigration blacklist.

The Pakatan Harapan Government, after winning power last year, abolished PTPTN’s blacklist policy as it was one of the pledges made in the coalition’s manifesto.

Wan Saiful urged Malaysians to study and provide feedback on the 10 main ideas presented in the consultation exercise.

The consultation, done in the form of a survey, can be accessed online at https://www.ptptn.gov.my/kertas-konsultasi-rakyat/.

During a briefing on the public consultation last week, Wan Saiful had said the idea of bringing back the travel ban was among those discussed during PTPTN’s previous engagements with stakeholders to find ways to improve payment consistency from borrowers.

“If this (the travel ban) is what people agree to during the public consultation sessions, then we will raise it to the higher authorities,” he said.

Wan Saiful said PTPTN was not in favour of or rejecting any of the proposals, but would leave it to the people to decide on the best methods.

These ideas will then be presented to the Education Ministry followed by the Cabinet for the final say, he added.

“I cannot say at this point of time whether these suggestions will be implemented or not because we are still at the proposal gathering stage,” he said.

Wan Saiful said that when PTPTN removed the immigration blacklist for defaulters, there were those who believed the corporation was “rewarding errant borrowers”.

“Some said that there are those who do not want to pay even if they can afford it. There is a need for strict actions or restrictions on them to ensure they are disciplined and responsible (in servicing their loans).”- Star