Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi publicly backed a proposal for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to establish a special investigative body to review the management of Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) from 2017 to the present during the Musyawarah Nasional forum on August 25, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. Zahid said the probe aims "to correct public perceptions and reflect the reality that the public wants to know," stressing that the investigation should focus on facts and reality rather than politicisation [1]. He added that such an investigation "does not need to be brought to the Cabinet" and should be conducted under the PAC's own mandate as it has the proper locus standi to act [3, 4].
The proposal for the special PAC body arose informally from several Members of Parliament during the "Reality and Perception: Don’t Politicise Tabung Haji" forum held alongside Musyawarah Nasional [1, 3, 4]. The PAC chairman, Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, announced the committee will discuss the proposal after parliamentary proceedings on August 26, 2026 [5].
The National Audit Department has issued clean audit certificates for TH audits conducted under the Tabung Haji Act 1995, which governs the department's audit responsibilities [1, 2, 3, 4]. Zahid said that the PAC is "more suitable to conduct the investigation because it has the locus standi, as set out in the PAC’s own duties and responsibilities" [4].
However, Perikatan Nasional (PN) and some Umno leaders have urged for a new Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to reevaluate TH’s administration and management from 2018 to present, claiming the previous RCI report distorted the facts about TH’s financial situation [6]. PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said he agrees with calls to "re-establish" the RCI to address manipulated findings and factual errors in the earlier probe [6]. Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Mohd Razlan Rafii also supports a new RCI to investigate possible misconduct, asset transfers, and financial affairs following the earlier commission's period [6].
The differing approaches reflect a split between those who favour the PAC exercising its established parliamentary oversight and others calling for a fresh, independent inquiry through the RCI mechanism. The PAC will take up the consideration of the special investigative body following parliamentary sessions on August 26, 2026 [5].
