Is Pas Cooking Up A Storm By Ridiculing Non Muslim Pr Firm Undertaking Tabung Haji S Re Branding Exercise

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PAS is at odds with Tabung Haji’s re-branding campaign following the awarding of the project via direct negotiations which is not only in contravention with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s decree that such practices are forbidden but worse still to a non-Muslim entity.
Tracing back the dispute, the Islamist party’s activist Nurul Islam Mohamed Yusoff had on Aug 17 tacitly asked on his Facebook (FB) page why the Pilgrims’ Fund Board was still practicing direct negotiations.
What seemed to really irk Nurul Islam was that the company appointed for this Tabung Haji project – 5gram Communications Sdn Bhd – ironically is a completely Type C-owned!
“Are there no Bumiputera Muslim companies that are capable and qualified to undertake the re-branding project to change the Tabung Haji logo?” the PAS Research and Policy Department director asked incredulously.

“Do ask the Muslim PR and Communications Association to comment on the working paper presented by 5gram to Tabung Haji.”
The matter came to light recently when Pengkalan Chepa MP Datuk Dr Ahmad Marzuk Shaary queried Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar in the Dewan Rakyat on Tabung Haji undertaking a RM20 mil re-branding exercise when it “has no competitor” or rather a monopoly business.
In fact, Nurul Islam had claimed the involvement of two more non-Muslim entities which he identified as Green Zebras Sdn Bhd and Centriq PR Sdn Bhd before Tabung Haji dispelled the RM20 mil allocation claim in a media statement by putting its brand rebranding cost at “RM2 mil per annum for three years”.

‘Beating around the bush’
Interestingly, however, the pilgrims’ fund board made no mention about the appointment of non-Muslim firms in its image building exercise.
This was when Nurul Islam started to train his gun on 5gram with regard to “open tender, selective tender and direct negotiation”.
Fast forward to his latest FB post yesterday (Aug 21), Nurul Islam contended that after saying much about nothing, Na’im had finally admitted that the corporate rebranding exercise had been awarded via direct negotiations in contravention of PMX’s explicit instructions since Jan 9, 2024.
The legal scholar, claimed Nurul Islam, then tried to justify the ward on the basis that the project required “specialist knowledge” upon being cornered by Marzuk over the direct negotiation practice in the Madani government.
Datuk Dr Ahmad Marzuk ShaaryNurul Islam roundly ridiculed such assertion on grounds that there were plenty of organisations skilled in carrying out such work, including Muslim-owned entities.
“Why not use open tender system that is fair and transparent, allowing all companies equal opportunities, including Muslim-owned companies?” he queried.
Transparency
Nurul Islam also slammed Na’im for playing victim by having lodged reports to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the police over social media content which urged Muslims to withdraw their savings from the fund.

“People are withdrawing money because of the lame management of Tabung Haji, not the exposure of mismanagement by opposition MPs,” chided the one-time PAS candidate for Ampang.
“If you want to restore depositors’ confidence in Tabung Haji, eliminate all these lame practices. These include direct negotiations, appointing a non-Muslim entity to undertake rebranding and so on.”
Nurul Islam Mohamed YusoffIn a belittling tone, Nurul Islam even offered an example on how Na’im should have responded:
“I will take note and ask Tabung Haji to investigate this matter. If there is any wrongdoing, we will take action. I will also instruct Tabung Haji to comply with PMX’s instructions to no longer have direct negotiations.”
It is very unlikely that such words that hint of accountability will ever heard in Parliament but if the opposition can continue to do its job, who knows?
Stranger things have happened.
Credit where its due and PAS has – in this instance – carried out its task as an effective check and balance to dubious government practices. –  Focus Malaysia

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