Dialogue Of Ummah: Five Resolutions Call For Stronger Governance, Accountability At Tabung Haji

BANGI, Sept 3 (Bernama) -- Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) is a major trust of the Muslim community that must be safeguarded and strengthened against mismanagement, abuse of power, conflicts of interest and any action that could undermine depositors’ interests.

This was among the key principles outlined in five resolutions adopted at the Dialogue of Ummah: Reality and Future of Tabung Haji here today.

The dialogue brought together more than 500 participants, including TH leaders, financial, economic and syariah experts, professionals and other stakeholders.

The resolutions were presented by Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (ABIM) president Ahmad Fahmi Mohd Samsudin to TH chairman Tan Sri Rashid Hussain and chief executive officer Mustakim Mohamad.

Ahmad Fahmi said the first resolution called for TH to be safeguarded as a strategic institution of the Muslim community, entrusted with the savings of about 10 million depositors.

“We have confidence in the current TH leadership to restore the Muslim community’s trust in this institution,” he told reporters after the dialogue.

The other resolutions called for the completion of governance and institutional reforms, stronger accountability and action against any wrongdoing.

They also called for syariah principles, integrity and transparency to remain at the core of managing the community’s assets, while findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into TH should serve as a basis for reflection and reform rather than racial or religious confrontation.

Ahmad Fahmi said the presence of Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan at the programme also demonstrated the government’s commitment to ensuring follow-up measures involving TH have a greater impact on the community.

On July 29, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) published the 211-page RCI report on its investigation into TH’s management and operations from 2014 to 2020.

The report identified various weaknesses in the institution’s management during the period and made 25 recommendations for improvement, 75 per cent of which had been implemented by TH as of July 30.

-- BERNAMA