KUALA LUMPUR: Bersatu has defended its MPs’ decision to remain in the Dewan Rakyat for the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) debate on Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH), openly questioning the choice by fellow Perikatan Nasional partners to stage a walkout.
Bersatu Supreme Council member Dr Afif Bahardin said the party's position was firm: when the savings and trust of millions of Muslim depositors are at stake, elected representatives must stay and demand answers.
“This is Bersatu’s position. When the trust of millions of Muslims is being questioned, we do not run away. We stay, we debate, and we demand the truth,” Dr Afif said in a statement on Tuesday (Aug 11).
He commended the stand taken by Bersatu MPs, led by party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Radzi Jidin, who stayed in the House to participate in the proceedings.
Earlier, opposition lawmakers—led by PAS and Parti Wawasan Negara—staged a walkout after Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul rejected Perikatan chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan’s motion to postpone the special sitting due to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's absence on medical grounds.
Dr Afif expressed disappointment at the walkout, specifically calling out senior Perikatan leaders who were in Cabinet when the RCI was first initiated.
“Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin was in the Cabinet when the decision to establish the RCI was made, while Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan was the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department responsible for legal affairs and Parliament,” Dr Afif noted.
“If they previously agreed that an RCI was necessary to establish the truth, why are they now leaving the House when the findings are being debated?”
Dr Afif emphasised that Tabung Haji does not belong to any political party, and any alleged leakages or abuses of power uncovered by the RCI must be investigated without political favour.
“If there are leakages, expose them. If there is abuse of power, investigate it. If anyone has betrayed the trust of depositors, action must be taken—regardless of party or position,” he said.
He added that those who chose to walk out must answer to the public, stressing that Malay-Muslim politics must evolve beyond rhetoric.
“The politics of the Malay-Muslim community must move forward—not through slogans and sentiment alone, but through integrity, courage, and accountability,” he said.
