BANGI: The government will explain its position in the Dewan Rakyat on a proposal to abolish the RM15,000 minimum savings requirement for obtaining or retaining eligibility for a haj waiting-list slot.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Senator Dr Zulkifli Hasan said the matter would be addressed during the winding-up session in the Dewan Rakyat soon.
"We will respond to the proposal during the winding-up session," he told reporters.
He was speaking after launching the 2026 Islamic Publishing Seminar and the launch of the Majlis Penerbitan Buku Agama at Dewan Datuk Mohd Shahir, Institut Latihan Islam Malaysia here today.
It was previously reported that Pas deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had called on the government to abolish the RM15,000 minimum savings requirement set by Tabung Haji (TH).
Tuan Ibrahim, who is also Kubang Kerian member of Parliament, raised the proposal while debating the 2027 Budget in the Dewan Rakyat.
He said the requirement should be reviewed to ensure TH continued to facilitate Muslims in fulfilling the fifth pillar of Islam, rather than adding to their financial burden.
He said many depositors, particularly those in rural areas, saved for haj through various means, including buying gold and livestock, in addition to saving in TH accounts.
TH had previously said the RM15,000 threshold was set as a benchmark for assessing depositors' financial readiness to perform haj, in line with the concept of istito'ah, or affordability.
The amount also corresponds to the current basic haj payment for pilgrims from the B40 group, compared with the actual cost of RM33,300 per muassasah pilgrim for the 2026 haj season.
Under the Seruan Istito'ah Haj Preparation Plan, depositors who meet the minimum savings requirement of RM15,000 will automatically qualify for a haj waiting-list slot without having to register manually.
Depositors who have already registered for haj have been given a transition period until Dec 31, 2028, to meet the minimum savings requirement to retain their existing waiting-list eligibility.
From Jan 1, 2029, haj waiting-list eligibility will be reorganised based on registration dates and compliance with the RM15,000 minimum savings requirement.
TH said the principle of "first come, first served" would remain in place, subject to depositors meeting the minimum savings requirement in their accounts.
The government had previously said that about 80 per cent of the 4.1 million depositors who had registered for haj still had savings of less than RM15,000.
However, the introduction of the minimum savings requirement and early reminders had reportedly helped reduce the rate of pilgrims deferring their haj offers to 18 per cent in 2026, from about 50 per cent in the previous season.
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