Appoint new Tabung Haji chairperson to regain trust, PM told
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak should appoint a new chairperson for Lembaga Tabung Haji to regain people's trust in the pilgrimage fund, said opposition lawmaker Rafizi Ramli.
The PKR vice-president stressed that the new appointee should not be a politician.
"It is important to regain trust as soon as possible to prevent depositors from withdrawing their deposits.
"The easiest way to do this is by replacing the current chairperson with someone who is more qualified and not a politician," he added in a media statement.
Tabung Haji is currently helmed by Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, who is also an Umno supreme council member.
Rafizi, who conduced random surveys on social media regarding this issue, said the majority of respondents wanted outgoing Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz to helm the fund and the current chairperson removed.
The PKR MP said he was informed that the withdrawal rate among Tabung Haji depositors is high and this has caused concern for the management.
He added that the response from the government, including Najib, failed to allay the concerns of the depositors because core issues are not addressed.
Rafizi also vowed to continue highlighting investments by Tabung Haji which incurred losses and raise the question if there was political intervention behind the decisions.
"If the prime minister does not handle this well, the situation will deteriorate...," he warned.

On Tuesday, Rafizi said Tabung Haji lost RM933 million on paper through investments in Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGV), but still retained shares in the listed plantation company despite revenue decline.
He claimed that Tabung Haji's decision not to dispose the shares suggested political interference, and noted that FGV was Najib's brainchild.
Therefore, he accused the fund of being more concerned in protecting the government than the depositors.
However, Tabung Haji clarified that its shareholdings in FGV are a long-term strategic investment in one of its priority sectors for investment.
Last week, Najib expressed sadness that Muslims in Malaysia have been deceived by irresponsible parties with vested political interests, who spread inaccurate information and rumours to the detriment of the pilgrimage fund.
"If there were those among the Muslims who were influenced by the rumours until they withdrew their savings from Tabung Haji, this saddens me, as according to the terms set, the investors face losses from the lack of returns on their savings and will be unable to perform the Haj in Mecca," he wrote in a blog post.
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