Photo Credit: Strait times
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in a parliamentary written reply said the government will continue the previous administration’s policy of providing subsidies for Malaysian pilgrims performing the haj once Malaysians are allowed to make the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia again.
KUALA LUMPUR: The government will continue the previous administration’s policy of providing subsidies for Malaysian pilgrims performing the haj, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.
In a parliamentary written reply yesterday, Muhyiddin said the subsidy will proceed as usual once Malaysians are allowed to make the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia again.
He was referring to the Saudi government’s decision on June 22 to drastically scale-down the haj this year amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, limiting the pilgrimage to 1,000 people already in the kingdom.
“The government would like to emphasise that all policies regarding haj payments will be maintained, and no change of policy will be made,” he said in response to Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution (PKR-Kulim Bandar Baharu) on the matter.
Since there will be no haj for Malaysians in 2020, Muhyiddin said the subsidy for this year will not be provided.
As for those who had already paid Tabung Haji for this year’s cancelled trips, the prime minister said all the money has been returned to affected depositors.
“The haj cost for a Muassasah pilgrim is RM22,900 per person, while the cost for a Muassasah who will be performing (his or her) haj for the first time remains at RM9,980 per person.
“This means that TH bears the additional RM12,920 cost for each person eligible (to perform haj that year),” he said.
Previous reports quoting sources had claimed that Tabung Haji, which underwent a restructuring plan a few months ago, was planning to remove the subsidy for first-time pilgrims, except those in the B40 income group.
The reports also claimed that this is supposed to take place beginning next year.
NST.COM
