TH 'rebranding' contract: PAS MP suspended after heated exchange
Malaysiakini Team
Published: Aug 18, 2025 4:53 PM
Updated: 8:14 PM
PARLIAMENT | Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Alice Lau today suspended Ahmad Marzuk Shaary (PN-Pengkalan Chepa) for two days.
This was after the PAS lawmaker sparked a heated exchange with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Na’im Mokhtar.
Na’im was winding up the 13th Malaysia Plan debates when Marzuk interjected, accusing the minister of failing to answer whether Tabung Haji awarded a “rebranding” contract to a non-Malay company without an open tender.
“This question on Tabung Haji is important! The minister’s answer is ‘hanging’ (incomplete); he is spinning.
“I asked a simple question, whether the contract was awarded via open tender or direct negotiations?” asked Marzuk (above), a former deputy religious affairs minister.
He insisted he was not being “racist” and demanded Na’im to justify appointing a non-Malay company to redesign the Tabung Haji logo, which currently includes in Arabic script the phrase Hayya ‘alal falah or “Rush to success”.
Tabung Haji office
Marzuk also named the appointed company and its list of non-Malay shareholders, claiming he was informed there were “many Malay-bumiputera companies” that waited for an open tender call for the rebranding exercise.
Lau initially ordered Marzuk to step out of the Dewan Rakyat for 30 minutes but later issued a two-day suspension as the PAS MP insisted on continuing to question Na’im.
In his winding-up speech, Na’im reiterated Tabung Haji’s statement on Saturday which denied claims that it set aside some RM20 million to be spent on a rebranding exercise for the pilgrim fund.
“Tabung Haji had issued a statement, stating the rebranding exercise was valued at RM5.9 million and not RM20 million as claimed,” he said.
He added that the rebranding exercise across a three-year period would involve extensive market research and engagements with 9.6 million depositors to better understand their needs.
At a press conference later, Marzuk reiterated that Na’im had failed to directly answer his question and that he was unfairly punished with the suspension.
Harapan MPs defend vendor appointments
Separately, a group of Harapan MPs welcomed the minister’s firm stance in clarifying what they described as “baseless accusations” made by the opposition regarding Tabung Haji’s vendor appointments.
“The claim that the current government appointed a non-bumiputera company with a RM20 million contract for TH’s rebranding is malicious slander, irresponsible, and clearly politically motivated,” said the group’s spokesperson, Sri Gading MP Aminolhuda Hassan.
Reading a joint statement, Aminolhuda said facts presented by the minister showed that during the opposition’s administration of the religious affairs portfolio between March 2021 and November 2022, as many as 23 non-bumiputera companies received contracts amounting to over RM55 million.
“This proves that the real issue is not about race or racial sentiments, as some are trying to play up, but about professionalism, integrity, and governance.
“The entire vendor appointment process by TH was carried out through strict evaluation, in compliance with corporate procurement policies, and approved by TH’s board of directors in line with the best governance principles,” he said.
They also pointed out that Tabung Haji has consistently supported the empowerment of the Muslim community, noting that 81 percent of its vendors in 2024 comprised bumiputera companies, covering 70 percent of overall operational expenditure.
Marzuk also named the appointed company and its list of non-Malay shareholders, claiming he was informed there were “many Malay-bumiputera companies” that waited for an open tender call for the rebranding exercise.
Lau initially ordered Marzuk to step out of the Dewan Rakyat for 30 minutes but later issued a two-day suspension as the PAS MP insisted on continuing to question Na’im.
In his winding-up speech, Na’im reiterated Tabung Haji’s statement on Saturday which denied claims that it set aside some RM20 million to be spent on a rebranding exercise for the pilgrim fund.
“Tabung Haji had issued a statement, stating the rebranding exercise was valued at RM5.9 million and not RM20 million as claimed,” he said.
He added that the rebranding exercise across a three-year period would involve extensive market research and engagements with 9.6 million depositors to better understand their needs.
At a press conference later, Marzuk reiterated that Na’im had failed to directly answer his question and that he was unfairly punished with the suspension.
Harapan MPs defend vendor appointments
Separately, a group of Harapan MPs welcomed the minister’s firm stance in clarifying what they described as “baseless accusations” made by the opposition regarding Tabung Haji’s vendor appointments.
“The claim that the current government appointed a non-bumiputera company with a RM20 million contract for TH’s rebranding is malicious slander, irresponsible, and clearly politically motivated,” said the group’s spokesperson, Sri Gading MP Aminolhuda Hassan.
Reading a joint statement, Aminolhuda said facts presented by the minister showed that during the opposition’s administration of the religious affairs portfolio between March 2021 and November 2022, as many as 23 non-bumiputera companies received contracts amounting to over RM55 million.
“This proves that the real issue is not about race or racial sentiments, as some are trying to play up, but about professionalism, integrity, and governance.
“The entire vendor appointment process by TH was carried out through strict evaluation, in compliance with corporate procurement policies, and approved by TH’s board of directors in line with the best governance principles,” he said.
They also pointed out that Tabung Haji has consistently supported the empowerment of the Muslim community, noting that 81 percent of its vendors in 2024 comprised bumiputera companies, covering 70 percent of overall operational expenditure.
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