KUALA LUMPUR – There is no need to proceed with the parliamentary debate on the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Tabung Haji if Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is unable to attend and provide clarification.
Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the debate should be deferred to allow Anwar to be present, particularly given that the RCI had been conducted some three years ago.
"If this is a big issue for him as Prime Minister, what should be done? He should inform the Speaker to postpone it first.
"Because we want to wait for him personally to debate the issue, not merely because the matter has already been raised," he told Sinar.
Hamzah, who is also Larut Member of Parliament, also questioned the decision to bring the matter back to Parliament after such a long time.
He said the issue had first been raised by the Prime Minister during the Negeri Sembilan state election campaign, before a proposal was made to hold a special sitting to discuss it.
"Previously there was a statement that Anwar had visited several people in hospital and today, he was reported to be receiving treatment for two days.
"If the Prime Minister is undergoing treatment, that needs to be taken into account before the debate on the RCI Tabung Haji issue proceeds.
"If this issue is important to him as Prime Minister, he should inform the Speaker to postpone the session first, because we want to wait for him personally to debate this as a major issue," he said.
Earlier, Anwar was reported to be undergoing examinations and procedures as directed by his medical specialist team and was expected to remain under monitoring for two days.
The matter was communicated by Senior Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Tunku Nashrul Abaidah.
A special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat to debate the RCI Tabung Haji report was scheduled for Tuesday, beginning with a briefing session by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Zulkifli Hasan.
The debate was then expected to be wound up by Zulkifli and Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.
The 211-page RCI report on Tabung Haji, published on July 29, outlined various findings related to weaknesses in the management and operations of the institution for the period between 2014 and 2020.
Among the key findings were governance weaknesses, including political interference in management and the distribution of profits without taking into account the effects of depreciation and the decline in fair value of investments.