KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 — The successful turnaround plan to strengthen the Tabung Haji (TH) financial performance has enabled the pilgrims management fund board to maintain the subsidy for all first-time pilgrims, CEO Datuk Seri Zukri Samat said today.
Those people who appealed to be allowed to undertake the pilgrimage this year would also benefit from the subsidy, he told Bernama in an exclusive interview at Wisma Bernama.
The restructuring plan was completed on Dec 31, 2018, and paved the way for a better TH performance and it is expected to continue this year to enable TH to carry on providing the subsidy to the pilgrims in need, he said.
“We are in a situation that enables us to continue providing the subsidy because the financial position of TH has gradually recovered from the turnaround plan that we had put in place.
“We expect the TH performance for 2019 to improve and this will give us the opportunity to continue with the Haj subsidy,” he said.
Zukri said he hoped that his explanation of the matter would silence all the circulating rumours and fake news.
“This announcement is also to kill all the rumours and all the (inaccurate) news on the TH subsidy,” he said.
Zukri, who assumed the position of CEO on July 13, 2018, said the current TH leadership adopted a transparent attitude towards the TH financial performance compared to the previous.
“We are going to be more transparent with regard to our financial performance,” he said.
Zukri said the cost that TH had to bear for this year’s Haj season was about RM400 million, with the subsidy per pilgrim at RM12,920, meaning a pilgrim only pays RM9,980 of the total cost of RM22,900.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa said today that TH would bear the subsidy for all first-time pilgrims as well as those who had appealed to undertake the pilgrimage this year.
He said in a statement that the decision was reached after discussions with the TH board of directors and taking into consideration various matters including the TH financial position and capability for 2019.
He said various misleading claims had arisen on the cost to be borne by the pilgrims although, at that time, the matter had yet to be finalised.
On February 14, Mujahid announced that the cost to undertake the Haj for a first-time pilgrim remained at RM9,980, with the government providing a subsidy of RM12,920. — Bernama
