PAKATAN Harapan’s plan to table the 2019 Tabung Haji financial report in Parliament was scuppered following the fall of the federal government in February, said former minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa.

According to Mujahid, who was minister in charge of Islamic affairs in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration, the report on irregularities in the pilgrimage fund was ready to be tabled in March.

“The report was done and ready. It had been audited and to be tabled in Parliament in March 2020, but as we all know, the PH federal government fell in end February, and we had no opportunity to table it,” he said in a dialogue with former Tabung Haji chairman Abdul Azeez Rahim last night.

Mujahid was responding to Azeez’s criticism over the PH government’s failure to table 2018 or 2019 financial reports for the pilgrims’ fund.

He also said that the report was now in the hands of the new Perikatan Nasional government.

“We can’t table it, but you can ask the current minister to do so. It has been audited and there is no reason it should not be tabled now,” he said, referring to his successor, Zulkifli Mohamad al-Bakri.

Mujahid also explained that the PH government did not set up a royal commission of inquiry into allegations of misconduct and irregularities in the fund, because minister did not want to scare depositors.

“We cannot have them panicking when implementing a recovery plan,” he said.

Azeez said the PH government had failed to fulfil its election manifesto to set up an inquiry for this purpose.

The Umno man reiterated calls for a formal inquiry, adding he was prepared to give his full co-operation.

The Baling MP said that if an inquiry had been set up as promised there would no longer be any finger pointing. – August 15, 2020.