Tiada keperluan RCI baharu TH setakat ini, kata ahli ekonomi

Former Malaysian Finance Minister's economist Ahmed Razman Abdul Latiff argues that there is no need for a new Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the management of the Haj Trust Fund (TH) after 2020. This is because no serious financial misconduct has been reported since 2015, according to Razman, who is from Putra Business School.

Razman pointed out that the previous RCI was established following serious financial misconduct within the TH during the previous government's tenure. However, since 2021, no further financial misconduct issues have been reported regarding the TH. Therefore, he believes that there is no need for a new RCI as it may be driven by political motives exclusively.

Nevertheless, Razman admits that the impact of establishing a new RCI, if continued, can only be assessed after the commission's report is presented, as the benefits to be gained cannot be predicted. In the previous RCI, which covered the period from 2014 to 2020, the task was limited to investigating financial management issues.

Meanwhile, Barisan Nasional (BN) MP Mohd Isam Mohd Isa, who presented the RCI report in the Dewan Rakyat, urged for a fresh investigation covering the period from 2021 to 2025 due to the significant changes that have taken place since then in the management of the TH. Opposition MP RSN Rayer from Pakatan Harapan (PH) also called for a new investigation to examine the management of the TH and identify those responsible for the financial and management issues of the institution.

Aimi Zulhazmi Abdul Rashid from Universiti Kuala Lumpur suggested that the management of the TH after 2020 should be re-evaluated due to several significant changes that occurred during that period.

Aimi argued that the need for a new RCI reflects the public's demand for continued accountability, rather than denying the recent reforms made. However, she does not view the previous RCI as a failure solely because of the opposition's pressure to launch another inquiry. Instead, she sees it as a continuation of efforts to ensure the ongoing monitoring of TH management.

Mazlan Ali, a political analyst, argued that the proposal for a new RCI could be a test of the Madani government's commitment to transparency and accountability, especially since the inquiry period includes the management period since 2020. He noted that this issue becomes more significant if the pressure to establish an RCI comes from representatives of both the BN and PH parties, who are part of the coalition government.

He questioned whether the government has established an RCI for the TH after 2020 due to its involvement with the current government. If so, the government's commitment to transparency and accountability would be under scrutiny.