KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 4): The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) has called on the government to disclose the implementation status of all 25 recommendations made by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Lembaga Tabung Haji, including timelines for outstanding measures.

The think tank said greater transparency was needed after the government stated that about 75% of the recommendations had been implemented.

"Given the gravity of the RCI’s findings, the report should have been released much earlier, not a few days before the Negeri Sembilan state election.

“The government should now publish the implementation status of each recommendation, identify those that remain outstanding and set out a clear timetable for completion,” IDEAS said in a statement on Tuesday.

IDEAS also urged Putrajaya to amend the Tabung Haji Act 1995 to strengthen governance and oversight, while reducing the scope for political interference.

Other proposed reforms include introducing transparent and merit-based appointments to statutory bodies, independent screening of candidates, stronger board independence and greater parliamentary oversight.

"Public confidence is built not only on financial performance but also on strong governance and accountable decision-making. The findings should therefore be used to strengthen the safeguards that protect statutory bodies from undue political influence," said IDEAS chief executive officer Aira Azhari.

The think tank said its earlier research found that 78% of chairperson positions across 135 federal statutory bodies did not have clearly defined qualification criteria.

IDEAS said the RCI’s findings showed that political appointees on Tabung Haji’s board were involved in decisions that had serious consequences for the institution’s financial governance.

"Broad discretion over appointments, coupled with limited transparency, weakens institutional independence and increases the risk that public bodies become vulnerable to political influence.

"The issues identified in the RCI should therefore be understood not as isolated failures but as symptoms of broader structural weaknesses in Malaysia’s governance framework," it said.

Any evidence of wrongdoing identified by the RCI should be independently investigated in accordance with the law, regardless of political affiliation.

The RCI, established in 2022 to investigate Tabung Haji’s management and operations between 2014 and 2020, found that the pilgrims’ fund should have recorded a RM1.4 billion loss in 2017 instead of the RM3.4 billion profit reported. It also questioned the declaration of RM2.75 billion in hibah despite concerns raised during the audit process.

The inquiry also examined the events leading to the government’s rescue of Tabung Haji in 2018 after its liabilities exceeded its assets.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said last month that the government had withheld the report for several years to avoid triggering panic withdrawals while Tabung Haji was being stabilised under the new management. He said the findings could now be released as the institution had regained a stronger footing.