TRANSPARENCY International Malaysia (TI-M) has called on the government to move swiftly from disclosure to concrete action following the release of findings from the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Tabung Haji, warning that years of delay in scrutinising the pilgrim fund’s affairs have undermined public accountability.
In a statement, its president Raymon Ram said an inquiry of such public significance “should not remain beyond meaningful public scrutiny for years”.
He argued that delayed transparency erodes institutional confidence and the ability to respond to identified failures.
Tabung Haji should have posted a loss of RM1.4bil in 2017 rather than the RM3.4bil profit it reported, with hibah payouts propped up by improper accounting, according to public reporting on the declassified report.
The RCI has recommended forensic audits into 14 problematic investments and proposed barring active politicians from sitting on the fund’s board or those of its subsidiaries.
Moreover, Raymon stressed that the stakes go beyond past wrongdoing, noting Tabung Haji’s role in safeguarding the savings of millions of Malaysian Muslims.
“Protecting depositor confidence can never justify withholding the truth,” he said, adding that genuine trust comes from competent governance and timely disclosure rather than secrecy.
The organisation outlined three immediate demands. The first is public, verifiable reporting on the implementation status of every RCI recommendation.
The second is time-bound public updates from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, police, and other enforcement agencies on related investigations, including matters previously flagged through police reports.
The third is an unimpeded start to Parliament’s proposed special sitting, which Raymon said should mark the beginning of ongoing bipartisan oversight rather than a one-time political event.
On reform, the president has called for amendments to the Tabung Haji Act 1995 covering fit-and-proper criteria for board appointments, a bar on politicians chairing or sitting on the board, tighter conflict-of-interest rules and asset declarations for senior officials — while cutting back the executive’s outsized discretionary powers.
The TI-M president also urged independent forensic audits of all flagged investments, recovery of losses where possible, and civil, criminal, or disciplinary proceedings “wherever evidence warrants”, insisting no one should be shielded “regardless of position, political affiliation or former office” — while cautioning that any action must still follow due process.
“The release of the Tabung Haji RCI Report must mark the beginning – not the conclusion – of meaningful accountability,” he pointed out.
“Malaysia cannot afford another cycle of public outrage followed by institutional inertia.” — Aug 1, 2026
Main photo credit: Facebook
