Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said action is being taken to address mismanagement and wrongdoing identified at Tabung Haji, and not because of the Islamic ‘brand’ associated with the institution.
He said the same approach was being applied to other institutions, including Felda, and that such action should not be viewed through a racial or religious lens.
‘Some Islamic party leaders say action is mainly being taken against Malay-Muslim agencies.
‘If issues are identified, we will take action. Don’t make this a racial or religious issue,’ he said at a programme with Felda’s top management today.
Remarks follow Hadi’s criticism
Although Anwar did not name anyone, his remarks came after PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said the issue of wrongdoing at Tabung Haji was being blown out of proportion to give Malay-Muslims a bad name.
Hadi said yesterday that while there may have been misappropriation and wrongdoing at Tabung Haji, bigger issues involving other institutions were not receiving the same level of attention.
Felda example shows issues cannot be ignored
Anwar said the government’s efforts to address problems at Felda showed that mismanagement could not be ignored simply because an institution was closely associated with the Malays.
He said the government had tabled a white paper on Felda and established a special task force and committee to prevent the recurrence of the institution’s past problems.
Anwar said action would be taken whenever wrongdoing or mismanagement was identified, regardless of racial or religious considerations.
