KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 4): The government aims to table amendments to the Tabung Haji Act 1995 next year to strengthen governance and address institutional weaknesses identified in the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI), the Dewan Rakyat was told on Wednesday.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan said the amendments would form part of the broader transformation of Lembaga Tabung Haji, covering the qualifications and expertise of board members, a ban on appointing active politicians, and independent procedures for appointments and dismissals.

"Alhamdulillah, the special task force committee has met three times, while the technical committee has held five meetings. We hope to finalise the proposals as soon as possible and will do our best to secure amendments to the Tabung Haji Act next year, God willing," he said when replying to a supplementary question from Nurul Amin Hamid (Perikatan Nasional-Padang Terap).

Zulkifli said the proposed amendments would also address matters relating to statutory committees, hibah (gifts), the haj fund and the application of the Statutory Bodies (Accounts and Annual Reports) Act 1980 (Act 240), which is still under review.

He said Tabung Haji had also set up a special task force comprising representatives from Bank Negara Malaysia, the Securities Commission Malaysia and Tabung Haji's senior management to further refine the proposed amendments.

"Alhamdulillah, Tabung Haji's financial position has continued to strengthen following these efforts. Its assets stood at RM76.8 billion in 2018 and rose significantly to RM98.58 billion by the end of 2025.

"The dividend rate for 2025 reached 3.5%, the highest in eight years," he said.

Meanwhile, Zulkifli said the RCI, which examined Tabung Haji's management and operations from 2014 to 2020, had put forward 25 recommendations, of which 17 were under Tabung Haji's responsibility and the remaining eight involved other parties, including the Finance Ministry.

He said Tabung Haji had implemented 13 of the 17 recommendations under its purview, representing 76%, while the remaining four are still being addressed.

These included amendments to the Tabung Haji Act and regulations concerning disciplinary matters and the scope of regulatory oversight, he said.

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