KUALA LUMPUR: Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) is not acting like a bank, but is merely fulfilling its mandate to help prospective pilgrims plan and save early for the haj, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan defended the institution’s policy requiring depositors to maintain a minimum savings of RM15,000, denying claims that the rule was burdensome.
Responding to concerns raised during the ministry’s winding-up speech on Budget 2027 on Monday (Oct 26), Zulkifli revealed that the initiative had successfully reduced haj offer deferral rates from over 50% down to 18%.
“TH’s past experience showed that many prospective pilgrims were financially unprepared, resulting in more than half of haj offers being deferred," he said. "This affected queue management efficiency and forced TH to repeatedly issue replacement offers at short notice.”
The issue was raised by Datuk Idris Ahmad (PN-Bagan Serai), who urged TH to scrap the RM15,000 requirement. Idris argued that the condition placed an unnecessary burden on depositors and departed from TH’s core founding mission to assist ordinary Muslims in saving for the pilgrimage.
Idris added that under Islamic principles (istito’ah), performing the haj is only obligatory for those who are financially capable.
Countering the argument, Zulkifli explained that the requirement under the Seruan Istito’ah initiative aligns directly with TH’s founding vision set out by the late Royal Professor Ungku Aziz, which promoted early financial planning and discipline.
He assured the House that TH would strictly adhere to its statutory framework without overstepping its boundaries.
“TH operates under the Tabung Haji Act. This is a trust, and TH will continue to comply fully with its mandate and will not engage in activities beyond its scope,” Zulkifli said.
