- His Majesty, Sultan Ibrahim, has called for a thorough investigation into the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) Report on the Tabung Haji (TH) Board to ensure accountability and prevent future occurrences. Credit Image: Sinar Harian (Foto: Facebook Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar) / Sinar Harian.
Is exposing how billions of ringgit were mismanaged by the country's pilgrims' fund an attack on Islam?
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has never been averse to making mind-blowing statements. This time, he has claimed that the wrongdoing of certain individuals in Tabung Haji (TH) has been blown out of proportion to tarnish the name of Malay-Muslims in this country.
According to the longtime Marang MP, the misconduct of a few is being maliciously singled out to damage their reputations, while bigger issues in other institutions are allegedly swept under the carpet.
Interestingly, in a recent Facebook post, Hadi even claimed that anti-corruption narratives tend to disproportionately target Malay-Muslim entities, allegedly to degrade the image of Islam, making it appear as if non-Muslims and non-Malays are not involved.
In fact, the PAS supremo went on to assert that based on statistics, non-Muslim involvement in corruption is greater than that of Muslims, as the latter are restrained by their faith regarding sin.
According to him, this contrasts with non-Muslims whose beliefs are limited strictly to the worldly realm, particularly in a country where they dominate large businesses and economic affairs like Malaysia.
Inevitably, he cited the Penang undersea tunnel case that, according to him, proceeded halfway and then went silent, rarely mentioned even when raised.
But then, should his latest “revelations” actually surprise anyone?
Recently, he also reportedly said that Muslims are less likely to engage in corruption because they believe they are accountable to God.
But is that the absolute truth, or is it a grossly biased personal opinion?"
After all, aren't non-Muslims also accountable to their own God?
As many in this country may be aware by now, this certainly isn't the first time the straight-talking veteran politician has sparked controversy with his seemingly outrageous claims linking race, religion and practically everything under the sun—except his personal beliefs—to corruption.
Back in 2022, he had even notoriously alluded to non-Muslims being the main cause of corruption, which triggered a massive uproar in the country.
Screenshot of news headline and image from The Vibes.
This time he has delved into something even more explosive—Lembaga Tabung Haji, a statutory body set up by the government and mainly managed by Malay-Muslim officials to help believers fulfil their hajj obligation.
But what has that got to do with other races or religions?
And for sure, this time, DAP cannot be accused of being involved in it either!
The cold, hard truth is this: the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) has exposed hidden losses and alleged "creative accounting," as well as political interference—with all these connected to the hard-earned savings of ordinary Muslim pilgrims.
In fact, even the country's no-nonsense King, Sultan Ibrahim, made it abundantly clear that those found guilty must be held accountable and face the consequences!
Yet, the PAS chief has alleged that the issue was amplified by some to tarnish Islam when the very people who exposed this in the RCI were actually reputable and highly qualified Malay-Muslims.
Furthermore, wasn't this RCI approved and undertaken during the PN-BN era—at a time when PAS itself was an integral part of the then-ruling administration?
So why frame the probe into the financial mismanagement of the pilgrims’ fund as an alleged indirect attack on Islam?
Why go on the defensive?
After all, has it not been proven that billions of ringgit have been lost due to the negligence of those who had been entrusted with a sacred responsibility?
Screenshot of news headline and image from NST.
Critics may even ask: could it be because some UMNO politicians were allegedly involved in overseeing TH back then, and there is a need to defend them since PAS is now actively courting their party with an eye on Putrajaya?
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has slammed Hadi for accusing Putrajaya of targeting Islamic bodies, stressing that Muslims should set an example in eradicating corruption, not concealing it.
Still, the bigger question remains: why the hesitation—or maybe even reluctance—to haul habitual high-profile agitators to court, especially when they keep making baseless allegations against the government and non-Muslims?
How long will they remain “untouchable” when ordinary citizens are often promptly dragged to court, charged and punished for uttering seditious statements?
The thing is, by insinuating that criticism against the financial mismanagement in TH is a religious attack, the perpetrators seemed to have totally missed the mark.
Did it also not run counter to what His Majesty the King had demanded?
If anything, the TH episode has shown that influential religious and political figures continue to hide behind religion to attack their enemies, and seem to always get away scot-free after wreaking havoc.
Is this not one of the primary reasons why many have been emboldened to flood social media with baseless and venomous statements—often implicating race and religion—which have now sadly become an accepted norm in this country?
Main information source: Free Malaysia Today, Hadi Awang Facebook, The Star, Malaysiakini, The Vibes and NST.
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