LEMBAGA Tabung Haji’s (TH) record low dividend payout is due to Putrajaya’s honesty, said Anwar Ibrahim.

The PKR president said the Dr Mahathir Mohamad-led Pakatan Harapan government had two options – fake its accounts, like what Barisan Nasional had done, to give depositors high dividends, or fulfil its promise to clean up the pilgrims’ fund.

“Some people would say, ‘Under Umno, I got a 6% dividend, but now, I am getting just 1%’. Some people think that way.

“But we had a choice. We could either fake our accounts… or fulfil our promise (to clean up TH),” he said at a ceramah in Rantau last night.

He added that those who blame DAP for TH’s misfortune are “thinking about it wrong”.

On Friday, TH announced a hibah, or dividend, rate of 1.25% for the 2018 financial year. This amounts to a payout of RM913 million.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa said TH’s restructuring plan is proof of the government’s commitment to save the fund, in the interest of its 9.3 million depositors.

He blamed the previous BN administration for its “creative accounting”.

TH group managing director and CEO Zukri Samat said the dividend rate for last year is the lowest in the fund’s history, but added that he is confident TH’s financial position will recover in the coming year.

Rantau’s April 13 by-election is a four-way fight between PH’s Dr S. Streram, BN’s Mohamad Hasan, and independents R. Malarvizhi and Mohd Nor Yassin.

The state seat comprises 55% Malays, 26% Indians and 18.5% Chinese. – April 7, 2019.