TH maintains Haj subsidy with successful turnaround plan

KUALA LUMPUR: The successful turnaround plan to strengthen the Tabung Haji (TH) financial performance has enabled the pilgrims management fund board to maintain the subsidy for all first-time pilgrims, CEO Datuk Seri Zukri Samat said yesterday.

Those people who appealed to be allowed to undertake the pilgrimage this year would also benefit from the subsidy, he told Bernama in an exclusive interview at Wisma Bernama.

The restructuring plan was completed on Dec 31, 2018, and paved the way for a better TH performance and it is expected to continue this year to enable TH to carry on providing the subsidy to the pilgrims in need, he said.

“We are in a situation that enables us to continue providing the subsidy because the financial position of TH has gradually recovered from the turnaround plan that we had put in place.

“We expect the TH performance for 2019 to improve and this will give us the opportunity to continue with the Haj subsidy,” he said.

Zukri said he hoped that his explanation of the matter would silence all the circulating rumours and fake news.

“This announcement is also to kill all the rumours and all the (inaccurate) news on the TH subsidy,” he said.

Zukri, who assumed the position of CEO on July 13, 2018, said the current TH leadership adopted a transparent attitude towards the TH financial performance compared to the previous.

“We are going to be more transparent with regard to our financial performance,” he said.

Zukri said the cost that TH had to bear for this year's Haj season was about RM400 million, with the subsidy per pilgrim at RM12,920, meaning a pilgrim only pays RM9,980 of the total cost of RM22,900.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa said yesterday that TH would bear the subsidy for all first-time pilgrims as well as those who had appealed to undertake the pilgrimage this year.