PAS has questioned the government’s decision to announce the release of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) at a time when political developments involving Barisan Nasional (BN), Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) in Negeri Sembilan are drawing public attention.
Its deputy president, Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, said the government should explain why the announcement was only made now after the report had remained undisclosed for a long period, to avoid public perception that it was driven by political interests.
He said although PAS welcomed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to make the RCI report public, the timing of the announcement had raised questions, especially as the controversy surrounding the Employees Provident Fund (KWAP) investment in Indonesia’s eFishery continues to dominate public discussion.
“The timing of the announcement raises questions. Releasing it during the Negeri Sembilan state election campaign, while the KWAP investment in Indonesia’s eFishery remains a major issue, could create the perception that the Tabung Haji RCI is being used to divert public attention from issues currently affecting the government.
“The question is why, after remaining unpublished for so long, the announcement was made when the political landscape in Negeri Sembilan is changing, including developments involving BN, PH and PN.
“The government must explain this to avoid the perception that the RCI report is only being highlighted when there are political interests or pressure,” he said in a statement on Friday.
Earlier, Anwar announced that the government was prepared to release the full RCI report to the public after obtaining the necessary procedural approvals or following next week’s Cabinet meeting.
The Prime Minister said the report had previously been withheld because Tabung Haji was undergoing a recovery process, but added that the public now had the right to know its findings.
The RCI was established in 2022 to investigate issues involving the management and administration of Tabung Haji between 2014 and 2020.
Tuan Ibrahim said PAS had consistently called for the report’s findings to be released without delay in the interest of transparency and to safeguard the confidence of the Muslim community.
He stressed that any wrongdoing uncovered through the inquiry should be investigated thoroughly, with those responsible facing legal action regardless of their status.
He also said the Tabung Haji RCI report, which was prepared using public funds, should not face the same fate as the Batu Puteh RCI report, whose parliamentary tabling previously became a matter of dispute.
According to him, maintaining transparency over matters involving Tabung Haji is essential to preserving public trust in one of Malaysia’s most important Islamic financial institutions.
