Minister Zulkifli Hasan said Tabung Haji has recovered significantly after efforts to address legacy assets and restore its financial position.
KUALA LUMPUR: Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) is now in a much stronger position after undergoing an institutional recovery process, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan.
He said that when the MADANI Government took over the administration of the country at the end of 2022, TH was in the process of addressing legacy assets that were less competitive and problematic, which had remained in the institution since 2018.
“The government chose to give TH room to restore the institution first. Today, with TH in a much stronger position, we have chosen to make this report available to the people.
“Alhamdulillah, the government wishes to express its highest appreciation to the new TH management and all parties involved who have restored TH to excellent health,” he said.
He said this during the ministerial briefing session on the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) Report on Tabung Haji and the efforts and measures taken to restore the institution’s financial position, at the Special Dewan Rakyat Sitting today.
Zulkifli said TH had also received five World’s Best Haj Management Awards over four consecutive years, demonstrating that capable, competent, trustworthy and integrity-driven leadership could steer the institution effectively.
He said the Cabinet, on July 29, unanimously agreed to make the RCI report public and table and debate it for the first time through a special Parliament sitting, while also ordering a full investigation to be carried out immediately by enforcement agencies.
Following the decision, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and police began investigations and detained several key individuals linked to the misappropriation mentioned in the report.
“This firm action demonstrates the government’s and enforcement agencies’ continued commitment that there will be no compromise for any party involved in abuse of power or criminal breach of trust involving the assets and sacred funds belonging to the country’s pilgrims,” he said.
Zulkifli said the action was in line with the decree of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, that investigations into the RCI findings be conducted comprehensively, transparently and without any compromise, “until every stone is turned”.
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PARLIAMENT-TH RCI (RECOVERY) 3 (LAST) KUALA LUMPUR
On the trust placed in TH, he said deposits in the institution included money gradually saved by parents for their children, as well as savings belonging to teachers, small traders, retirees, farmers, fishermen, rubber tappers and taxi drivers.
“They do not save merely to pursue profits. They save because they want to reach the Baitullah.
“That is why, when a trust of this magnitude is compromised, we cannot hide behind the figures. We cannot sweep it under the carpet. And we cannot allow narratives driven by political interests to override the interests of depositors and the Muslim community,” he said.
Zulkifli said every decision involving TH must be guided by the principles of trust and depositors’ confidence, while any questions regarding a breach of trust must be investigated to establish the truth, rectify weaknesses and ensure the same issues do not recur, which was the spirit behind the establishment of the RCI.
The RCI, announced by the previous government in 2021, was chaired by former Chief Justice Tun Mohamed Raus Sharif and comprised five prominent figures with expertise in public administration, banking, finance, syariah and accounting. Its members were appointed on Jan 20, 2022, before the report was presented to the King on Aug 30 of the same year.
On July 29, the 211-page RCI report was made public, containing various findings on weaknesses in TH’s management and operations between 2014 and 2020. It also put forward 25 recommendations for improvement, of which 75 per cent had been implemented as of July 30, while the remaining relevant recommendations are being actively implemented.
