Andrew Sia
Published: Aug 13, 2026 11:11 AM
Updated: 1:58 PM
COMMENT | "If you're explaining, you're losing" - Pakatan Harapan should learn this American phrase when handling the Tabung Haji fiasco.
The late US president Ronald Reagan meant that justifying something with loads of details makes you look defensive and lose the battle to persuade voters.
Indeed, explaining complex financial reports about Tabung Haji to village folk can never defeat simple slogans like “the Malays are under threat from DAP”.
That's why the “master of mass Malay hypnosis”, Abdul Hadi Awang, has often repeated this magical “jampi” or spell. It works.
Creative antidote to poisons
It's time for Harapan to think out of the box. I suggest that the government relinquish control of Tabung Haji. Instead, privatise its management to PAS and Umno.
Yes, you heard me right. Throw the gauntlet back at the so-called “saviours” of race and religion. Let them take care of the precious savings of Malay farmers, fisherfolk, teachers, retirees, police and army, etc.
If they succeed in increasing the fund's assets, bravo! The managers should even get bonuses.
However, if there are losses, the two Malay parties must be fully liable, including selling off party assets. Let PAS and Umno put their money where their mouths are.
Or let them pass the proverbial Milo tin to collect donations from villagers to bail out Tabung Haji. See if they remain popular after that.
Published: Aug 13, 2026 11:11 AM
Updated: 1:58 PM
COMMENT | "If you're explaining, you're losing" - Pakatan Harapan should learn this American phrase when handling the Tabung Haji fiasco.
The late US president Ronald Reagan meant that justifying something with loads of details makes you look defensive and lose the battle to persuade voters.
Indeed, explaining complex financial reports about Tabung Haji to village folk can never defeat simple slogans like “the Malays are under threat from DAP”.
That's why the “master of mass Malay hypnosis”, Abdul Hadi Awang, has often repeated this magical “jampi” or spell. It works.
Creative antidote to poisons
It's time for Harapan to think out of the box. I suggest that the government relinquish control of Tabung Haji. Instead, privatise its management to PAS and Umno.
Yes, you heard me right. Throw the gauntlet back at the so-called “saviours” of race and religion. Let them take care of the precious savings of Malay farmers, fisherfolk, teachers, retirees, police and army, etc.
If they succeed in increasing the fund's assets, bravo! The managers should even get bonuses.
However, if there are losses, the two Malay parties must be fully liable, including selling off party assets. Let PAS and Umno put their money where their mouths are.
Or let them pass the proverbial Milo tin to collect donations from villagers to bail out Tabung Haji. See if they remain popular after that.
This is called “community responsibility”. If voters support these two parties, then logically they should trust them to manage their savings too, right?
That's what faith in the “true defenders of Islam” should mean.
In any case, the Umno-PAS tsunami looks set to take over Putrajaya, so they will control Tabung Haji anyway. Why not let them have it now?
In the 1960 US presidential campaign, a poster zoomed in on whether Richard Nixon was trustworthy by asking voters, "Would you buy a used car from this man?"
Similarly, a poster with “Mr DNAA 47” and Hadi can ask voters: Do you trust these men to handle your Tabung Haji savings?
It’s one thing to shout racial political slogans. But when people’s personal money is involved, chances are people will react with doubt, suspicion, and even loud protests that their hard-earned money may no longer be safe.
This is a simple, creative way to fight back against endless poison propaganda. There's no need for long-winded explanations about spreadsheets and audits. Remember - "If you're explaining, you're losing”.
Non-Muslims help bail out
The problem with the system is that many voters know the government will always use taxpayers’ money to bail them out.
As DAP MP Howard Lee told Parliament recently, “Gains are privatised, while losses are socialised”.
This includes using tax money from non-halal sources like gambling, pork and alcohol. Yet, we don’t want sacred institutions to be “terpalit” (contaminated), right?
Nowadays, even rubbish bins need to be halal. So, it's time to put tax money from “unclean” activities into a separate fund for non-Muslims.
Essentially, Umno politicians in Tabung Haji interfered in key financial decisions, the royal commission of inquiry report stated.
These included senior Umno figures like former supreme council members Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim and Rosni Sohar, and party permanent chairperson Badruddin Amiruldin.
Similarly, a poster with “Mr DNAA 47” and Hadi can ask voters: Do you trust these men to handle your Tabung Haji savings?
It’s one thing to shout racial political slogans. But when people’s personal money is involved, chances are people will react with doubt, suspicion, and even loud protests that their hard-earned money may no longer be safe.
This is a simple, creative way to fight back against endless poison propaganda. There's no need for long-winded explanations about spreadsheets and audits. Remember - "If you're explaining, you're losing”.
Non-Muslims help bail out
The problem with the system is that many voters know the government will always use taxpayers’ money to bail them out.
As DAP MP Howard Lee told Parliament recently, “Gains are privatised, while losses are socialised”.
This includes using tax money from non-halal sources like gambling, pork and alcohol. Yet, we don’t want sacred institutions to be “terpalit” (contaminated), right?
Nowadays, even rubbish bins need to be halal. So, it's time to put tax money from “unclean” activities into a separate fund for non-Muslims.
Essentially, Umno politicians in Tabung Haji interfered in key financial decisions, the royal commission of inquiry report stated.
These included senior Umno figures like former supreme council members Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim and Rosni Sohar, and party permanent chairperson Badruddin Amiruldin.
Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim
Two days ago, the New Straits Times reported that Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan revealed a shameful record where 14 investments had resulted in losses of nearly RM13 billion.
One was Al-Raudhah, where RM1.55 billion was paid upfront to lease four hotels in Saudi Arabia for pilgrims. However, the middleman failed to pay rental returns.
There were no bank guarantees, only “personal promises” to pay the rentals. In other words, Tabung Haji was Shanghaied (got tricked), or rather “Saudi-ed” in the holy land.
Another disaster was True Rich Resources, where Tabung Haji paid RM364 million for 200,000ha of a Kalimantan-based oil palm plantation.
Two days ago, the New Straits Times reported that Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan revealed a shameful record where 14 investments had resulted in losses of nearly RM13 billion.
One was Al-Raudhah, where RM1.55 billion was paid upfront to lease four hotels in Saudi Arabia for pilgrims. However, the middleman failed to pay rental returns.
There were no bank guarantees, only “personal promises” to pay the rentals. In other words, Tabung Haji was Shanghaied (got tricked), or rather “Saudi-ed” in the holy land.
Another disaster was True Rich Resources, where Tabung Haji paid RM364 million for 200,000ha of a Kalimantan-based oil palm plantation.
However, Tabung Haji only got 4,880ha or less than 2.5 percent of the “promised land”. A land suitability report had been manipulated so that it wasn't Tabung Haji but somebody else who became “true rich”.
Dr M, Guan Eng’s mistake
But again, all this means that Harapan is “explaining” the scandal, and thus “losing”. All these numbers can't penetrate the skulls of biased voters.
Sadly, many poorly educated voters cannot, or don't want to, understand financial matters, especially when “their side” is at fault. People believe their prejudices, not facts.
I believe Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Lim Guan Eng made a mistake in 2018 when they rushed to save Tabung Haji.
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former finance minister Lim Guan Eng
They were the prime minister and finance minister, respectively, of the newly victorious Harapan government at the time.
They believed in ”doing a good deed” - using RM20 billion of taxpayers' money to rescue sick Tabung Haji assets.
But did the Malays say thank you? No. Instead, racist leaders twisted the story that Lim was “grabbing Muslim assets”.
The truth is that the distressed assets were placed in a special body called Urusharta Jamaah Sdn Bhd (UJSB) – under the Finance Ministry, not under Lim or Chinese towkays.
They were the prime minister and finance minister, respectively, of the newly victorious Harapan government at the time.
They believed in ”doing a good deed” - using RM20 billion of taxpayers' money to rescue sick Tabung Haji assets.
But did the Malays say thank you? No. Instead, racist leaders twisted the story that Lim was “grabbing Muslim assets”.
The truth is that the distressed assets were placed in a special body called Urusharta Jamaah Sdn Bhd (UJSB) – under the Finance Ministry, not under Lim or Chinese towkays.
But such boring facts can't compete with stimulating and salacious “fitnah” (slander), even though it's a “dosa besar” (serious sin) in Islam.
This slander of a Chinese guy grabbing Muslim money is so “mujarab” (effective) that it was still used eight years later in the two recent state elections, said Jelutong MP RSN Rayer in Parliament.
So, instead of rushing to save Tabung Haji, Mahathir and Lim should have waited one year or more to let the full impact, gravity, and yes, pain, of the collapse sink into voters’ minds.
Only then would they have asked, why? What happened?
This is not racial; it's just human. People tend not to ask questions when their bellies are full of nasi lemak and super sweet teh tarik. They only seek answers when they are hungry.
And then Mahathir could have explained, “Well, you see Umno leaders stooped so low as to even ‘sakau’ (abuse) pilgrims’ money. We're trying our best to save Tabung Haji but we may need to use zakat funds. It’s time to develop collective Muslim responsibility.”
Mahathir had the moral authority then to pull this off. It didn't need to actually happen, but it would have been a great test balloon.
The debate would have shifted to Umno corruption as the 1MDB issue was hot then.
It would also have been a huge lesson to voters, rather than blaming a DAP leader even when he saved Tabung Haji.
That would have been far more effective than the current “tedious” Parliament briefing sessions to explain the data. After all, it's haram for Malays to play with numbers.
In conclusion, we must stop using taxpayers' money to subsidise abuses - again and again.
But people will only wake up when their money is personally affected - and that’s why letting PAS and Umno take over Tabung Haji will make them think harder.
It’s just like parents teaching life lessons to children - they will never grow up and learn responsibility if there is somebody who keeps bailing them out.
It only harms the kids in the long run.
That would have been far more effective than the current “tedious” Parliament briefing sessions to explain the data. After all, it's haram for Malays to play with numbers.
In conclusion, we must stop using taxpayers' money to subsidise abuses - again and again.
But people will only wake up when their money is personally affected - and that’s why letting PAS and Umno take over Tabung Haji will make them think harder.
It’s just like parents teaching life lessons to children - they will never grow up and learn responsibility if there is somebody who keeps bailing them out.
It only harms the kids in the long run.
ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com
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