Rafizi alleges Anwar sat on Tabung Haji RCI report to avoid upsetting Umno; Akmal wants action

 

Rafizi Ramli has accused Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of delaying the release of the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) report on Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) to keep Umno onside, alleging that the findings would expose the party’s failed stewardship of the pilgrimage fund.

According to the Parti Bersama Malaysia co-leader, the report should have been released in 2023, when it was completed, as its findings contained matters of public interest that should be made available.

Rafizi (above), who was still part of Anwar’s cabinet at the time, claimed the release was put on the back burner as the prime minister sought to maintain a cordial relationship with Umno.

“At that time, Anwar was very careful to protect Umno’s feelings, so the decision was made to bury the report,” he alleged in a statement.

Following a political deadlock after the 2022 general election, Anwar became prime minister by allying with Pakatan Harapan’s longtime nemesis, Umno.

The uneasy partnership has come under strain since BN decided to contest against Harapan in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan polls.

PM Anwar Ibrahim

Earlier today, Anwar hinted the RCI report would be released today or next Wednesday after the cabinet meeting.

He said the government had already agreed in principle to release the report, but it was delayed to allow TH’s recovery and management reforms to progress without undermining public confidence.

Marred under Umno’s administration

However, Rafizi claimed the report was withheld because it would expose how TH had been marred under Umno’s administration, saying the findings would shed light on the fund’s governance failures.

“The RCI report on TH is detailed, and I’m sure it will expose how the institution was damaged under Umno’s administration,” he added.

Rafizi also took a swipe at PAS, accusing it of “whitewashing” and confusing the public on issues relating to TH.

“It also helps the rakyat digest how the rumble-and-tumble of politics, through PAS’ whitewashing, confuses the public on what had happened to TH,” he alleged.

According to Rafizi, although the Harapan administration rescued the financial institution in 2019, the fallout was immense as billions in taxpayer funds were funnelled to supplement lost investments incurred over a decade.

He further claimed that TH would take decades to fully recover while the public would continue bearing the burden of its debts.

Rafizi also suggested the timing of the report’s impending release was not coincidental, noting that he had raised the issue during a Johor state election campaign speech two weeks ago to illustrate how political compromises could ultimately backfire.

“I am the happiest person if the TH RCI report is finally revealed because it proves that all the disclosures I made between 2015 and 2018 about TH’s financial position were true.

“I would have been happier had it been revealed with the intention of bringing the truth to light as early as 2023; nevertheless, I pray that Malaysians can draw lessons from these episodes,” he said.

Cabinet agrees to RCI

On July 14, 2021, then deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the cabinet had agreed to establish an RCI to investigate TH.

The inquiry was tasked with examining audit findings by consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ernst & Young (EY) and Roland Berger covering the period from 2014 to 2020.

It did not include TH’s recovery and restructuring plan, which was being implemented at the time.

Since then, however, the government has kept a tight lid on the report, with repeated calls to make the findings public have either received only general responses or been rebuffed altogether.

Malaysiakini has contacted PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan, Anwar’s political secretary at the Finance Ministry, Kamil Abdul Munim, and Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki for their responses.

Dr Akmal Saleh

In a related development, Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh urged Anwar to arrest and charge those who siphoned the funds.

“The public has the right to know who siphoned off the money… So please reveal and arrest those who were involved in misappropriating TH’s funds.

“Because since the time PMX was still in the opposition, the TH issue had been raised repeatedly, but until today no charges have been proven against any individual,” he said in a Facebook post. - Mkini