PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has described the issues uncovered in the Tabung Haji inquiry as a betrayal of public trust, questioning how a loss-making institution could continue rewarding its staff with hefty bonuses.
Anwar was responding to reports that Tabung Haji had paid staff bonuses amounting to 13 months’ salary, an issue he said was among several matters highlighted in the inquiry report.
“How could a company making losses reward in that way? How could rewards be given without regard for the standing of the institution?” he said after Friday prayers at a mosque in Paroi.
He said he was personally disturbed by the findings, adding that Tabung Haji, as an Islamic institution, had been placed under public scrutiny because of the actions of those entrusted to manage it.
“I myself am upset,” he said.
“A religious institution, an Islamic institution, brought to shame by Malays who were given the trust. To me, that breach of trust is treachery.”
Anwar said the report must first be read and debated before any judgment is made, adding that the matter should not be reduced to an issue of political timing ahead of the Negeri Sembilan state election.
“It is not a matter of votes, but this is too massive an issue,” he said.
“Whether voters can grasp it in a short time is a separate matter. For me, win or lose, this cannot be tolerated.”
The prime minister said the findings required serious attention, regardless of the outcome of the state polls. – July 31, 2026
