THE Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) is very disappointed with the IMAMS (Integrated Manasik Monitoring System) issue and how it has been handled. 

The Umrah Regulatory Management Council claimed that IMAMS was put in place to stop the increasing number of umrah scams that are recorded every year. 

Why was it necessary to create a system that was going to be run by a third-party company and was going to cost pilgrims RM90.10 extra on top of what they would be paying to go for umrah?

Furthermore, now that IMAMS has been shelved, the Deputy Tourism and Culture Minister Mas Ermieyati Samsudin says that they will be creating a new mechanism to crack down on umrah scams.

Again we ask why such a thing is necessary. The Umrah Special Licence given to travel agencies with muassasah status (authorisation to manage pilgrims) is issued by the Tourism and Culture Ministry. Why is the enforcement department of the ministry not going after these scammers?

An even better solution would be for Tabung Haji to issue both the license for Hajj and Umrah and leave the ministry out of it. 

Tabung Haji has a mechanism in place to manage the haj, all they need to do incorporate umrah matters. For those who are unaware, umrah is a minor pilgrimage to Mecca.  

As early as September 2016, CAP contacted Tabung Haji about the increasing number of umrah scams. The statistics we had at the time, from the Consumer Claims Tribunal Malaysia, was that were 2,761 victims from 2012 to 2015 with an estimated loss of RM19 million.

In January this year, Tabung Haji wrote back to us to say that as per the Tabung Haji Act 1995 (Act 535), matters pertaining to umrah do not come under its purview.

In October, Tabung Haji informed us that even though haj is a seasonal occurrence, the preparations for haj take place all year round, and it was apt for the Umrah Regulatory Management Council that was established 3 years ago under the Tourism and Culture Ministry to handle umrah matters.

This came after we had suggested that Tabung Haji take over umrah matters, as scams were still rampant under the ministry.   

We call for the Tabung Haji Act 1995 (Act 535) to be amended at once to include umrah matters. We also suggest that Tabung Haji employ more staff, that their employees learn better management skills and that they update their system if necessary.

They must do anything and everything they need to make Tabung Haji the authoritative body handling umrah matters.

We believe this is the best way to eliminate umrah scams from happening.  

* S.M Mohamed Idris is Consumers Association of Penang president. He reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.