Kuala lumpur: The provision of Haj subsidies for B40 and M40 groups has shown a decline over the past two years, as many pilgrims have voluntarily chosen to reject the assistance, the Dewan Rakyat was told today. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said the rejection stemmed from the growing awareness among Muslims that performing the fifth Pillar of Islam must be based on financial ability.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, ‘Tabung Haji (TH) is making efforts to explain to Muslims the link between Haj and the condition of affordability. Beginning in 2022, the subsidies provided by TH to B40 and M40 pilgrims have been decreasing… this is an effort to educate Muslims on the obligation of Haj.’

He further noted that a total of 396 pilgrims in 2023 and 263 in 2024 voluntarily declined the assistance, choosing not to accept any form of subsidy or Haj aid provided. This declaration was made during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat, responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Dr Ahmad Marzuk Shaary (PN-Pengkalan Chepa) about channeling TH’s profit returns as subsidized assistance to pilgrims in need.

Mohd Na’im highlighted that the rejection of subsidies also positively impacted TH’s financial performance, with its dividend distribution rising to 3.25 per cent last year. Addressing Ahmad Marzuk’s original question about the increase in costs and the Haj quota, he clarified that there has been no rise in Haj cost for Muassasah pilgrims this year, with the amount remaining constant at RM33,300 per pilgrim.

Regarding the Haj quota, Mohd Na’im stated that there were no unused official Haj quotas for the period from 2020 to 2025. He explained that the official annual Haj quota allocated by the Saudi Arabian government is 31,600, based on a resolution by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which stipulates one per cent of a country’s Muslim population. In 2022, due to the subsiding of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Saudi government allowed only 45 per cent of the original quota for all Islamic countries, resulting in Malaysia receiving a reduced quota of 14,306 pilgrims.