PN wants Anwar to table Tabung Haji RCI report, urges special sitting postponement

Perikatan Nasional has called on the Dewan Rakyat to postpone tomorrow's special sitting to discuss the Royal Commission of Inquiry report on Tabung Haji.

This comes following the hospitalisation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who earlier today underwent elective laparoscopic surgery to treat an abdominal hernia (para-umbilical hernia).

In a statement, PN chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan said Anwar should table the RCI findings as he was responsible for bringing the matter to public attention last month.

"Given that the Tabung Haji issue is of great importance and concerns the public interest, PN believes it would be highly appropriate for the report to be presented personally by the prime minister.

"This is because the prime minister himself brought the matter to public attention during the Negeri Sembilan state election campaign, despite the RCI report having been available for several years.

"Therefore, the prime minister’s presence in the Dewan Rakyat to present and provide an explanation on the RCI report is highly significant.

"This is important not only in terms of transparency and accountability, but also to ensure that the people receive a comprehensive explanation of an issue previously raised by the prime minister himself," he said.

Letter sent to speaker

According to Takiyuddin, the coalition has sent an official letter to the Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul earlier today to seek the session be postponed to a more appropriate time.

The cabinet decided to declassify the Tabung Haji RCI report and release it to the public on July 29.

The 211-page RCI report identified serious governance failures, political interference and questionable accounting practices as among the factors that contributed to Tabung Haji’s financial difficulties between 2014 and 2020.

Among other findings, the six-member commission chaired by former chief justice Raus Sharif found that weaknesses in the Tabung Haji Act 1995 granted excessive powers to the minister responsible for religious affairs, particularly in appointments to the Tabung Haji board and senior management.

It also found that the appointment of active politicians to senior positions between 2014 and 2018 fuelled perceptions of political interference and undermined confidence in the institution.

According to the commission, political considerations influenced key financial decisions, including the distribution of “hibah” (gift), haj payments and the provision of Haj Financial Support.

Anwar previously said the report had not been released about three years earlier because the government feared its disclosure could undermine public confidence and trigger mass withdrawals by depositors.

He said Tabung Haji was now on firmer footing under its current management, allowing the findings to be made public.

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