Zulkifli: Tabung Haji now in much stronger position after institutional recovery

On August 11, Dr Zulkifli Hasan, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) of Malaysia, announced that Tabung Haji (TH) has emerged as a much stronger institution following an institutional recovery process. At the conclusion of 2022, TH was dealing with legacy assets that were less competitive and problematic, inherited from previous years.

The government opted to allow TH to restore itself before making the recovery details public. Zulkifli attributed this success to the new TH management and all parties involved.

In a ministerial briefing session on the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) Report, Zulkifli highlighted that TH had been bestowed with five World’s Best Haj Management Awards over four consecutive years. This achievement underlines the effectiveness of competent, trustworthy, and integrity-driven leadership. Following the decision to release the RCI report on July 29, the Cabinet unanimously agreed to make it publicly available and debate it for the first time through a special Parliament sitting.

Subsequently, both the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and police initiated investigations into the misappropriation mentioned in the report, leading to the detention of several key individuals.

Zulkifli emphasized that the government's commitment to transparency and justice is unwavering, mirroring the decree of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia. The RCI report, chaired by former Chief Justice Tun Mohamed Raus Sharif, unveiled weaknesses in TH's management and operations over the period from 2014 to 2020. The report presented 25 recommendations for improvement, of which 75 per cent were already implemented by July 30, with the rest currently being actively implemented.