GE13 GOODIES? Najib cuts queue to sponsor 'special' 400 for Hajj

Prime Minister Najib Razak has been taken to task for denying more deserving Muslims of the opportunity to perform the Hajj this year.

PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub said in a statement that by sponsoring individuals to perform the Hajj, Najib has circumvented the country's Hajj process, in which pilgrims are selected from among tens of thousands of Muslims who have registered with Tabung Haji, the body tasked with Hajj-related matters.

Like other countries, Malaysia is given a quota of pilgrims by the Saudi Arabian government every year. The system, to avoid overcrowding in the Holy Cities during the annual pilgrimage, also meant that not all Malaysian Muslims who register with Tabung Haji would be selected. They are instead placed under a queue system, giving priority to early birds, the elderly and those who have yet to perform the Hajj.

Why the favoritism

Yesterday, it was reported that some four hundred individuals, which include 200 mosque imams and 200 village chiefs as well as village security and development committee members, were being sponsored to go on the annual pilgrimage with the help of Tabung Haji and the 1MDB Foundation.

Under the programme, Tabung Haji picks up RM2 million of the total bill while 1MDB Foundation contributes RM4 million.

Salahuddin however said it was unfair on other self-sponsored Muslims who were more deserving and had waited long to be included in the limited quota every year.

"This is a discrimination against those who have waited so long to be given the opportunity to perform Hajj," said the Kubang Kerian member of parliament.

Salahuddin said while it was alright to sponsor them, it was however wrong to allow the 400 individuals to "cut the queue".

-Harakahdaily