KUALA LUMPUR: A lifeline may have been thrown to 1,200 individuals to perform the Haj despite discontinuation of the Special Haj programme under 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said he would appeal to the Cabinet to allow them to perform the haj if the funds for the religious pilgrimage come from their own pockets.
“If these prospective haj pilgrims will not be funded by an illegal source (of funds) and can afford to perform haj with their own money, then I will bring the matter to the Cabinet,” he said at the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim (BN-Baling) over the prospect of allowing these 1,200 individuals to still be able to perform haj with their own funds.
During Azmin’s winding-up speech for his ministry, Abdul Azeez had pleaded for the minister to raise the issue with the cabinet and allow them to perform the Haj despite them being enrolled in the controversial 1MDB-linked haj programme.
On July 30, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa announced that the government will not continue the Special Haj programme under 1MDB.
During question and answer session in Parliament two days ago, he said it was because the source of funds for the programme came from 1MDB, now under investigation.
“Even though they offered to pay for themselves... but because it started of from the 1MDB foundation, and the foundation is currently under investigation, we will not continue.
“The quota given to 1MDB foundation was taken from others, so it is not fair to continue as the foundation is being put on halt,” he said.