RCI on TH among major issues to Parliament

KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 – The wellbeing of the people during this difficult time is among main issues Umno will take to the Dewan Rakyat, said Secretary-General Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
Referring to a mainstream newspaper clipping today, he said in a Twitter jotting that Umno has also submitted the issue of how the small and medium enterprise are on the brink of collapse if the government fails in finding a solution to it.
As at July 15, Umno has not received any notice as to when the Parliament will convene since media statements are not a valid reminders.
“Question and answer sessions, meeting arrangements, motions, discussions on the Emergency Ordinance, National Recovery Plan and others are not yet known,” he lamented.

For the record, the Prime Minister’s Office had on July 5 issued a media statement that the special meeting of the Third Term of the 14th Parliament is slotted for five days from July 26 to 29 for the Dewan Rakyat while the Dewan Negara is from 3-5 August.
It will be used to brief Members of Parliament on the National Recovery Plan and amend all laws and regulations to enable the parliamentary session to be held in a hybrid manner.
The statement also said that based on Clause (3) of Article 150 of the Federal Constitution, all emergency proclamations and ordinances made by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong will be tabled before both Houses of Parliament.
In relation to the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) Tabung Haji (TH), Ahmad who is also the Member of Parliament for Pontian said such matters were among the main issues Umno will raise at the Dewan Rakyat.
“The Supreme Council has asked for RCI in a media statement by our President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on March 11, 2020. Investigate the severe fall of the stock exchange during Pakatan Harapan era. Under BN era, Nasional Khazanah, TH, FGV and others were all profitable,” he said in his previous status.
Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri in a statement said the government had agreed to hold an RCI to investigate issues arising on TH from 2014 to 2020.
Sharing similar view on TH RCI, Youth Chief Datuk Dr Asyraf Dusuki said the Movement is of the view that some investigation aspects can be adjusted.
“The most important thing is that the scope of investigation should also take into account the Tabung Haji Rehabilitation Plan which was started during the PH era.
“This is in line with the consistent struggle of the Movement as well as among the key prerequisites submitted by the Supreme Council during the time we supported Tan Sri Mahiaddin Md Yasin as Prime Minister on March 11, 2020” he said in a FB posting.
He is also of the view that there are some changes in the scope that can be improved and amended to ensure that the RCI’s goal to maintain the purity of this Islamic institution is achieved.
“First of all, the weakness of this Recovery Plan has been reprimanded by the Auditor General in the Annual Report TH 2019. However, until now there has not been any improvement on the reprimand.
“Both the RCI investigation will also include the validity of the guarantee on UJSB’s RM27.56 billion debt to TH. This is because although PH has repeatedly said that the debt (sukuk) is guaranteed by the government, it was never tabled in Parliament or complied the Loan Guarantee (Corporations) Act 1965
“Thirdly, RCI also needs to trace the ability of UJSB to pay RM27.56 billion to TH before 2027. This is because based on the answer of Deputy Finance Minister II, YB Mohd Shahar Abdullah in the Dewan Rakyat last year, UJSB only earned RM234 million for in 2019,” he added.