Lembaga Tabung Haji

KUALA LUMPUR — Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH), the country’s comprehensive hajj management institution, has stressed that its operations are governed and managed entirely by a Bumiputera Muslim management team.

Its Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mustakim Mohamad, said TH was implementing a rebranding initiative to reaffirm its role as a respected Islamic savings institution, enabling Muslims to grow their savings and perform the pilgrimage.

“In recent times, TH has been more recognised for its hajj services, while at the same time, the cost of performing hajj has continued to rise. However, depositors’ savings have not grown, and most depositors do not have sufficient funds to perform the pilgrimage.

“To address this issue, TH is carrying out a rebranding initiative to empower TH as the Islamic savings institution of choice, where Muslims continue saving systematically and consistently,” he said in a statement here.

Mustakim said that to achieve this rebranding goal, TH required suitable technical expertise, noting that the practice was consistent with examples drawn from Islamic history.

“TH’s management and hajj affairs continue to be handled by an all-Bumiputera Muslim management team, but various technical support is needed for this complex rebranding initiative, which is provided by a consortium formed by TH,” he said.

Mustakim said TH must become a customer-centric savings institution, which requires an evolution of its operational strategies and brand to remain relevant, effective, and aligned with dynamic demographic changes.

TH advised the public not to believe any information without verifying its authenticity and to follow its official social media channels for accurate and reliable updates.

According to TH, video postings with provocations and baseless allegations against the organisation, particularly those linked to its rebranding and governance initiatives, could create confusion among the public.

“TH takes this matter seriously and is closely monitoring any social media postings, whether videos or written messages, that attempt to incite the public with false information that could tarnish TH’s image,” the statement said.

TH said it had lodged police reports and reports with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) following the spread of several defamatory and inflammatory videos on social media, and would extend full cooperation to the authorities to ensure appropriate action was taken against any perpetrators. — BERNAMA