Harapan pushes back as Umno-PAS seek new tit-for-tat Tabung Haji RCI

Pakatan Harapan leaders are pushing back against efforts by Umno and PAS for there to be a second royal commission of inquiry into Tabung Haji.

The push by the "Malay-unity" partners appears aimed at shifting focus away from the RCI findings, which are being used against Umno, to finding fault with the first Harapan government's efforts to rescue the pilgrimage fund.

The proposal to probe Tabung Haji management from 2018 to now came from an audience member at a forum which sought to "clarify" facts about the RCI yesterday, and received support from PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan.

The new RCI, he said, should review perceived discrepancies in the first commission's findings, such as the call for a forensic audit on the purchase of shares in Tabung Haji plantations, despite the MACC saying in 2021 there was no wrongdoing.

Umno supreme council member Razlan Rafii was reported as saying the new RCI should cover the period after what was covered by the first commission, and zoom in on whether there was any misappropriation when Tabung Haji assets were sold, and the current status of those assets.

This is believed to refer to the Finance Ministry's decision in 2018 to transfer over RM19.9 billion of Tabung Haji's underperforming assets to a government-owned special purpose vehicle (SPV) in a bid to rescue the ailing fund.

The transfer has long been the subject of attacks from BN and PAS, mainly centring on the fact that the finance minister at the time was DAP's Lim Guan Eng.

The transfer to the SPV, named Urusharta Jamaah Sdn Bhd (UJSB), was covered by the Tabung Haji RCI probe, which found it a necessary interim move to save the fund.

The RCI - which covered a period from 2014 to 2020 - also made recommendations regarding UJSB, including to restructure sukuk issued by the government to Tabung Haji for the assets so that it is tradeable.

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh in a Facebook post this morning also voiced support for the second RCI to look into UJSB, saying: "If you want to expose (wrongdoing), expose all of it, not just some of it".

‘What do Umno and PAS actually want?’

Commenting on Umno and PAS' seeming rejection of the first Tabung Haji RCI, DAP vice chairperson Syahredzan Johan noted that an Umno-PAS government had established the commission after pressure from those parties.

"They pressured, they agreed to establish (the RCI), now they are questioning it," he quipped on Threads last night.

PKR Youth chief Kamil Abdul Munim questioned what Umno and PAS actually wanted.

"Is there a need to establish a new RCI until they get results that they want?

"RCIs are not a tool to find results that side with any political party. RCIs are established to find the truth based on facts, documents, and testimony," he said in a statement yesterday.

He said that the Madani government was not afraid of the truth, and that institutions such as RCIs should not be abused.

Likewise, Jelutong MP RSN Rayer said in a statement today that Umno must stop "the charades".

"This charade by Umno must stop. It's dangerous, especially when our king Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has decreed that findings of the RCI on Tabung Haji must be comprehensively investigated and those responsible must be prosecuted," he said.

With BN and PN on a trajectory to form the next federal government should they be able to sustain their current cooperation and momentum, a second Tabung Haji RCI could be likely and may be weaponised against Harapan.

READ MORE: Ex-auditor-general defends Tabung Haji audit, says no evidence of theft found

Hilman urges govt to release supporting documents for Tabung Haji RCI

Tabung Haji RCI: Hadi claims Islamic bodies targeted, cites Penang tunnel case 'silence'

SNAPSHOT | Ex-minister Xavier rejoins PKR; company CEO remanded over Tabung Haji probe 

FT mufti rebuts Mujahid's claim of 'haram' Tabung Haji dividends

After Tabung Haji, Agong wants govt to look into Felda dealings - PM

Tabung Haji RCI findings alone insufficient for prosecution, says former judge

COMMENT | Tabung Haji's accountability merry-go-round