PETALING JAYA, Aug 9 ― The Lembaga Zakat Selangor (LZS) today affirmed that it has always been transparent in its collection and distribution of alms in the state.

LZS chief executive Hussin Mohd Ali said, however, the perception of certain quarters that the board was not up to standard was an issue that is currently being looked at.

"We will be doubling up efforts in our communication programmes to ensure that negative comments are addressed immediately,” he said.

One of the efforts, Hussin said, was to rope in bloggers to counter negative comments.

He also said that those who required information about the board or whether or not it followed guidelines set by the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) can do so by visiting its website at www.zakatselangor.com.my.

Hussin was speaking at a seminar on the accountability and transparency of Zakat institutions at the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies.

Apart from Hussin, other panelists were Universiti Teknologi Mara director of centre for Islamic Philanthropy and Social Finance Associate Professor Dr Abd Halim Mohd Noor and Pahang Zakat Collection Centre general manager Datuk Halidan Md Daud.