PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari has welcomed the government’s decision to declassify the Tabung Haji royal commission of inquiry report today, but questioned why it took three years to make it public.
Fadhli insisted that the government had yet to explain the reason the report was kept under wraps all this while, despite Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim earlier stating that it was to allow Tabung Haji’s recovery and management reforms to progress without undermining public confidence.
“The government has finally agreed to disclose the Tabung Haji RCI report. That is good, but the question is, why now? Why was it not released when the RCI completed its report?” the Pasir Mas MP said in a statement.
Fadhli also questioned the government’s directive for authorities to immediately resume investigations based on the report and bring anyone found to have broken the law to justice.
“Does this mean the government had deliberately allowed those who broke the law to go uninvestigated all this while? If so, why?
“What kind of reform is this if justice, which should have been upheld immediately, was not pursued?
“Is it not clear that this is being done merely for current political interests?” he said.
‘What else is govt hiding?’
Fadhli further asked if the government was withholding other reports or information from the public.
“If the government could conceal such an important report for years, what assurance is there that it is not hiding other matters as well?
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” he added.
Last week, Anwar expressed confidence that the cabinet would approve a proposal to declassify the report.
He explained that the report had not been released three years ago to prevent triggering panic among depositors, which could have led to mass withdrawals that might have destabilised the pilgrims' fund.
Responding to Anwar, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man questioned why the prime minister raised the matter now, amid campaigning for the Negeri Sembilan state election.
A matter of public trust
Separately, Bersatu deputy president Radzi Jidin urged the government to allow sufficient time for Parliament to debate the RCI findings.
The Putrajaya MP said the report involved matters of public interest as Tabung Haji was a strategic national institution that held a special place among Muslims.
“More than nine million depositors have placed their trust in Tabung Haji.
“For most depositors, the money entrusted to the institution is not merely ordinary savings, but the product of years of hard work accumulated with the intention of fulfilling a religious obligation,” he said in a statement today.
The former education minister said issues involving Tabung Haji’s governance, financial management, and investment decisions concerned not only economic and administrative matters, but also trust, integrity, and Muslims’ confidence in the institution.
Radzi also urged the government to present an action plan for the RCI’s recommendations that had yet to be implemented and explain whether action had been taken against those found to have committed misconduct or broken the law.
Proposal to extend timeframe
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revealed that the cabinet today had proposed extending the review of the RCI report to include the period after Tabung Haji came under its new management.
According to Bernama, Zahid said this would allow the recovery measures implemented after the period covered by the inquiry to also be assessed.
“The cabinet has proposed that the timeframe for this review be extended beyond 2022, covering not only the period from 2014 to 2022, but also from 2022 until the new management and chairpersonship of Tabung Haji took over.
“This is to determine whether recovery efforts, including asset restructuring, asset liquidation, and other measures to restore Tabung Haji, were properly implemented based on the recommendations contained in the RCI report”, he said at a press conference after officiating the closing ceremony of the 2026 Negeri Sembilan Mara Higher Education and TVET Roadshow in Seremban.
Zahid said the cabinet also hoped the recovery measures would reflect the government’s commitment to ensuring Tabung Haji depositors received appropriate returns while helping to reduce the cost of performing the haj.
“We know that the cost of performing haj has increased. Previously, it was RM9,980 for each pilgrim, but that amount has now risen because of higher flight, hotel, ground-handling, and other costs.
“However, I believe that with profits generated through dividends or bonuses under the new management, part of those profits could be used to offset the rising cost of performing the haj and bring the amount down,” he added.
The RCI was established in January 2022 after receiving royal assent and completed its inquiry in June that year.
When the government initially decided to conduct an RCI in July 2021, then-deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said it would cover the audit results of consultants such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and Roland Berger from 2014 to 2020. - Mkini
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