KUALA LUMPUR: The appointment of active politicians to Tabung Haji’s leadership positions was among the weaknesses identified by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI), says Dr Zulkifli Hassan.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) said, in his ministerial briefing to the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Aug 11), that the RCI had stated that such practices should not have occurred in the first place and therefore should not be allowed to continue in the future.
“Several weaknesses were identified, including the broad powers vested in the responsible Minister and the appointment of board members without specific criteria and with political influence, which necessitated amendments to the Tabung Haji Act 1995 (Act 535),” he said.
"The RCI concluded that the problems faced by Tabung Haji were attributable to weaknesses in governance, particularly in the appointment of its leadership.
“We must never again allow Tabung Haji to become a victim of the abuse of power and political interests,” he said.
"We must never again allow political interests to take precedence over the interests of depositors and the Muslim community. We must never again allow figures to be manipulated to conceal the true weaknesses and cover up misconduct that will inevitably come to light,” he added.
The Dewan Rakyat is holding a special sitting to debate the findings of the RCI which was released on July 29.
