PUTRAJAYA, Aug 27 ― Part of the country’s wealth and income should be
used to help imam (Muslim clerics) and chairmen of the Village Security
and Development Committees (JKKK) to perform the Haj because of the
important role they played in the community Datuk Seri Najib Razak said
today.
He said the people always had high expectations of the clerics and
JKKK chairmen who would do their best in discharging their
responsibilities.
The prime minister said during a Haj Special Programme launched last
year that he was sad when he found out that some of the imam and JKKK
chairmen still had limited amount of savings in their Tabung Haji
accounts.
“It had opened my eyes. If we can find sustenance through leadership
and administration to generate wealth and income, it will be most apt if
we can use part of this wealth for a very good and noble cause.
“In my opinion, it is better if we can help these imam and village
heads to perform the Haj,” he said at the presentation of the offer
letters to perform the Haj to 400 recipients at Seri Perdana, here,
today.
Each recipient also received a set of ihram cloth and other basic Haj necessities.
Present were chairman of the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) Tan
Sri Lodin Wok Kamaruddin and Tabung Haji group managing director and
chief executive officer Datuk Ismee Ismail.
Under the Second Haj Special Programme, 1MDB allocated RM4 million
and Tabung Haji, RM2 million, to enable 200 imam and 200 JKKK chairmen
to perform Haj this year.
Najib said that since he took the helm of the country’s leadership,
he had secretly made a wish to find a way to ensure that each imam, JKKK
chairman and village head across the country would be able to perform
the Haj.
“This wish started to come true last year with the first batch of 111
imam and village heads leaving for the Holy Land to perform their Haj.
“I also performed Haj last year and I have seen how big the impact of
this programme on those selected. So, this season, we increase the
number to 400,” he said.
The prime minister also called on the prospective pilgrims to pray
for Malaysia’s continuous success and peace while in the Holy Land.
Meanwhile, Jalaludin Mat Jali, on behalf of the recipients, said the
programme mooted by the prime minister really meant a lot to them.
“Prior to this, our dream to perform the Haj might have been hampered
by quota and financial constraints. But with this programme, we will be
able to perform the pilgrimage.
“We would like to thank the prime minister for his appreciation of
our contributions to the local community,” said the imam from Selangor.
Abdul Majid Mohamed, chairman of the Kampung Sungai Miang JKKK in
Pekan, Pahang, said he was grateful for the assistance. — Bernama
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