KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 — The Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) has recommended that the Haj Affairs Committee be given statutory status under the Tabung Haji Act 1995 (Act 535) and assigned specific responsibilities.

According to the RCI report released yesterday, the committee was established to assess and decide on matters relating to haj operations after the Haj Advisory Council was dissolved in 2018 following the repeal of the Tabung Haji Board Act 1969 (Act 8).

“As the management of haj is the core function of the TH Board, the Commission is of the view that it is appropriate for the Haj Affairs Committee to be provided for under Act 535,” the report stated.

The RCI proposed that the Haj Affairs Committee advise the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) on policies and planning related to haj affairs, as well as deliberate on issues concerning the welfare of pilgrims and other matters referred to it in relation to haj operations.

The committee should also recommend improvements to haj management, provide feedback to the TH Board’s management on issues related to haj administration, and propose measures to enhance services for pilgrims.

According to the report, the RCI also proposed that the Chairman of the TH Board chair the Haj Affairs Committee, while its members should comprise the Director-General of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), the Director-General of the Department of Waqf, Zakat and Haj (Jawhar), representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health, as well as three members appointed by the Minister in charge of Religious Affairs.

The Commission further recommended that standard provisions relating to quorum, meeting procedures, casting votes, the chairmanship, vacancies, disqualification and disclosure of interests concerning the Haj Affairs Committee be incorporated into Act 535.

“The Commission also recommends that members of the Haj Affairs Committee be paid honoraria, travelling allowances and subsistence allowances as determined by the TH Board,” the report stated.

Communications Minister and Madani Government spokesperson Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said yesterday that the Cabinet had agreed to declassify the RCI report on TH covering the period from 2014 to 2020 and make it public.

The 211-page RCI report on the investigation into TH’s management and operations was published by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) last night. — Bernama