I REFER to your news report, “YAPEIM to provide explanation to fund contributors” (NST, Nov 24).
It is good of YAPEIM to provide explanation as the matter has gone viral and has poisoned the minds of many people.
Before it went viral, I didn’t even know that there was a Malaysian Islamic Economic Foundation or YAPEIM.
I was shocked to read in social media of the monthly emolument given to one family (father, mother and son) to the tune of RM1 million per month as wages. I wonder what work they do to warrant such a hefty salary?
The fact went viral, and word spread like wildfire over the alleged mismanagement, and led to about 3,000 contributors deciding to terminate their monthly subscription to the foundation.
YAPEIM director-general Datuk Abibullah Samsudin was off-target when he said those who stopped their contribution represented only “0.001 per cent of the total 50,000 contributors”. The point is that public confidence has been eroded.
It is good that YAPEIM would conduct its own internal investigations apart from the one being carried out by the police.
If, indeed, the alleged mismanagement of public funds was the work of an “insider”, then the culprit must be quickly identified, and brought to justice. He should not be given a second chance to work in YAPEIM.
As an Islamic economic institution, there is so much hope and expectation from contributors, many of whom are low-income earners. The last thing they want to hear is that their money is being misused. It would break their hearts to learn about the alleged misdeeds in the newspaper, in social media and through coffee shop chatter.
Looking at the bigger picture, is there a grand design to discredit YAPEIM and the Islamic Development Deparment (Jakim)?
Both Islamic agencies suddenly became famous for something that the contributors never imagined. Is there a carefully laid-out plan to discredit the government? The authorities must get to the bottom of it.
As for Jakim, even former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has questioned its function. And a member of the G25, Tawfik Tun Ismail has been called by the police to give a statement over his allegedly seditious remarks pertaining to Jakim’s activities.
The simple village folk are beginning to ask questions as to what is happening.
Are the people who are running YAPEIM and Jakim incompetent to the extent that they are open to ridicule and insinuations from outsiders? And the outsiders are not ordinary people which raises many eyebrows.
Certainly, YAPEIM and Jakim need to come forward with solid explanation to win over the public’s confidence.
They should see the criticism for their own good. But where there are serious allegations of abuse of power involving public monies, then the culprits must be brought to justice. But if the allegations are true, then the minister concerned should resign.
I think that’s fair to restore public confidence.
n
Hassan Talib,
Gombak, Selangor