The government is moving to amend the Tabung Haji Act 1995 after stakeholder engagement sessions on proposed changes wrapped up following the release of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report.
Religious Affairs Minister Dr Zulkifli Hasan said feedback from all parties would be taken into account to ensure the amendments were appropriate and effective, NST reported.
Zulkifli declined to disclose which provisions would be changed, but said the amendments would be tabled in Parliament soon. He told reporters the RCI’s 25 recommendations to strengthen Tabung Haji were already about 75 per cent implemented.
Malay Mail reported that the RCI examined Tabung Haji’s operations from 2014 to 2020 and found weak governance and political interference in the pilgrim fund’s management and profit distribution.
The Cabinet declassified the RCI report and agreed it should be debated at a special Dewan Rakyat sitting. Zulkifli said several possible dates had been identified, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expected to announce the date.
Among the RCI’s key findings: the Act grants extensive powers to the minister responsible for Tabung Haji, including board appointments and removals, investments, hibah declarations and oversight of key operations. The commission said this concentration of authority weakened governance safeguards.
The RCI also found that political involvement in Tabung Haji’s management between 2014 and 2018 fuelled public concern amid political rivalry, with decisions on hibah payments, haj charges and Hajj Financial Support influenced by political elements.
Former CEO Datuk Nik Mohd Hasyudeen Yusoff was terminated in May 2021 before his term expired. Board chairman Tan Sri Md Nor Md Yusof was removed in October 2021, also before his term ended. The commission said the provision allowing the minister to dismiss board members without giving reasons was no longer appropriate.
The RCI recommended introducing statutory eligibility and professional requirements for board appointments, banning active politicians from serving on Tabung Haji’s board and its subsidiaries, and removing the minister’s sole authority to dismiss board members.
It also recommended splitting oversight responsibilities, with the Religious Affairs Minister handling haj management and the Finance Minister overseeing financial, fund and investment matters. The Investment Panel, Syariah Advisory Committee and Haj Management Committee should be expressly provided for under the Act.
Zulkifli assured depositors that Tabung Haji remained in a strong financial position. He said profits had increased and reserves had grown.
The government also directed the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and Bank Negara Malaysia to investigate any elements of misappropriation, fraud or abuse of power identified in the report.
