HANG TUAH JAYA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stressed that the alleged financial mismanagement of Tabung Haji (TH) should not be viewed solely as a Muslim issue, as its consequences were borne by Malaysians as a whole.
Anwar, who is also PKR president, said those allegedly responsible had ultimately caused people of various races to bear the consequences.
“Those who plundered were only a few, but the ones who had to pay were all Malaysians.
“Malays, Chinese, Indians, Iban and Kadazans had to pay because of their greed and fraud,” said Anwar in his keynote speech at the 2026 PKR Congress at the Melaka International Trade Centre.
The royal commission of inquiry’s findings into TH were declassified last month and recommended a major overhaul, including tighter oversight, forensic audits of selected investments and limits on political involvement in the institution.
Its findings also led to investigations by the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Inland Revenue Board as well as several high-profile arrests.
Anwar said he had no intention of punishing anyone before a full investigation had been completed, leaving such action to enforcement agencies and the judiciary.
“But as a responsible person, I will say this: do not delay, do not compromise, and do not consider which party, position or race they belong to.
“If they are guilty of plundering, arrest them,” he said.
Anwar also defended the government’s decision to make the report on TH public, stressing that the decision was made by the Cabinet and had not faced any objections from its members.
He also stressed that the term “sakau”, used to describe alleged embezzlement at TH, should not be avoided if such wrongdoing had indeed occurred.
He claimed that after the report was made public, some parties feared the issue would be debated openly and chose to leave Parliament instead.
Most opposition MPs walked out of the Dewan Rakyat during the special sitting to debate the RCI after their request to postpone the proceedings was rejected.
Opposition chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan had asked for the sitting to be postponed as Anwar, who was recovering from surgery, could not attend.
