PETALING JAYA: The release of the declassified Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on Tabung Haji must be followed by concrete action, with calls for greater transparency, accountability and reforms to prevent similar governance failures in the future, says Transparency International Malaysia.
Its president Dr Raymon Ram said the declassification of the report should mark the beginning of accountability, rather than the end of the matter.
“What matters now is whether the government has the political will to act on its findings,” he said.
Raymon said the full report should be made public, debated in Parliament and supported by an implementation plan with clear timelines, responsible agencies and regular progress updates.
He said every recommendation by the RCI should be tracked, while the status of police reports and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) referrals identified by the commission should be explained by the relevant authorities.
Raymon said the findings exposed serious weaknesses in Malaysia’s accountability framework, involving alleged financial misstatements, governance failures, possible breaches of statutory obligations and decisions that affected the savings of millions of TH depositors.
“This was not an isolated administrative error. This was an alleged breakdown of governance within one of Malaysia’s most important public institutions.”
He said public confidence would be affected if multiple investigations did not result in clear and transparent outcomes.
Raymon said TH’s recent financial recovery should be acknowledged, but improved performance alone could not erase unresolved questions.
“Restoring profitability is commendable; restoring public trust requires truth, accountability and reform.”
He added that the episode should serve as a turning point for Malaysia’s public institutions.
Meanwhile, Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) head of research and policy advocacy Arief Hamizan said the RCI highlighted the need to end political appointments to statutory bodies, government-linked investment companies and government-linked companies.
“Such appointments could create conflicts of interest between political considerations and the responsibility of managing institutions entrusted with public funds.”
Arief also called for stronger parliamentary oversight through empowered select committees that could summon witnesses and compel the production of documents to detect governance issues earlier.
He said a progressive freedom of information law should also be introduced to allow greater public scrutiny of government-held information.
“The broad and overriding nature of secrecy laws like the Official Secrets Act 1972 and other statutory secrecy provisions allows for misconduct to be obscured.”
Pertubuhan Mesra Pengguna Malaysia deputy president Azlin Othman said depositors’ concerns were justified as TH savings represented years of sacrifice towards a lifelong religious goal.
While acknowledging the fund’s restructuring and stronger oversight as positive steps, she said transparency and verifiable action were more important than assurances.
“Tabung Haji is no ordinary financial institution – it carries a sacred religious trust on top of its financial duties,” she said.
