KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 2026 — Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim has hit out at the opposition for prioritising political drama over the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Lembaga Tabung Haji, after some opposition lawmakers staged a walkout from a special Dewan Rakyat sitting on Tuesday.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the walkout, Anwar questioned whether the focus should be on him or on what he described as the “betrayal” of Tabung Haji, the Muslim pilgrims’ fund that holds the savings of millions of Malaysians for the Hajj pilgrimage.
“Nak bahas tentang saya, atau nak bahas tentang Tabung Haji? Nak ambil tahu tentang saya, atau nak ambil tahu tentang pengkhianatan terhadap Tabung Haji?” (Do you want to debate about me, or about Tabung Haji? Do you want to know about me, or about the betrayal of Tabung Haji?), he wrote.
He accused parties that “shout about Malay Muslims” of engaging in political theatrics while Malay Muslims had been betrayed, and asked whether Perikatan Nasional (PN), led by PAS, truly cared about the interests of the hardworking poor — fishermen, farmers, teachers, police, military personnel and retirees — who had saved diligently in Tabung Haji to fulfil the fifth pillar of Islam.
The remarks came after PAS and Parti Wawasan Negara MPs walked out of the Dewan Rakyat when Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul rejected their call to postpone the special one-day sitting until Anwar could attend in person. Opposition chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan had argued that Anwar, who initiated the sitting, should be present to provide a full explanation. Bersatu MPs, however, remained in the chamber.
Anwar is recovering from an elective laparoscopic procedure on Monday to treat a para-umbilical (abdominal) hernia. His office confirmed he is undergoing physiotherapy under specialist monitoring and apologised for his absence, saying he would follow the debate closely to safeguard the trust placed in the institution.
The special sitting was convened to discuss the 211-page RCI report, which was declassified and released on July 29. The inquiry, completed in 2022, examined Tabung Haji’s management and operations between 2014 and 2020. It highlighted serious governance weaknesses, political interference, “creative accounting” that masked losses (including a reported RM3.4 billion profit in 2017 that should have been a RM1.4 billion loss under proper standards), excessive hibah (profit) distributions beyond the fund’s capacity, and problematic investments that contributed to a near-crisis.
The government has directed enforcement agencies to investigate the findings thoroughly, and Tabung Haji has already implemented about 75% of the RCI’s 25 recommendations. Anwar has repeatedly framed the matter as one of trust and accountability rather than politics, emphasising that those who abused the savings of ordinary Muslims must face the law.
The sitting proceeded with a ministerial briefing by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Zulkifli Hasan, followed by debate among the remaining MPs.
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