ONLY 18 PCT HAVE DEFERRED 2026 HAJ OFFERS - ZULKIFLI

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 (Bernama) -- Only 18 per cent of prospective pilgrims selected for haj in 2026 have opted to defer the offers issued by Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH), said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan.

He said Malaysia nevertheless continues to fully utilise its annual quota of 31,600 pilgrims allocated by the Saudi Arabian government.

Zulkifli explained that any slot left vacant due to a deferral is immediately filled with applicants from the appeal list submitted through the THiJARI application, allowing TH to ensure the quota is fully optimised each year.

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“This year, TH has received more than 84,000 haj appeal applications,” he said in reply to Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PN-Kuala Krai), who asked about the number of TH depositors who had declined haj offers and their reasons, during the question-and-answer session in Dewan Rakyat today.

Zulkifli said the postponement is not driven solely by financial constraints, with personal factors accounting for 31 per cent of rejections and health-related issues contributing 20 per cent.

“To prevent last-minute cancellations, TH issues early reminders via SMS, email, mass media and the THiJARI application, advising prospective pilgrims to undergo health preparations early. TH also maintains strict istita’ah (capability) assessments to ensure that only those who are truly ready receive an offer,” he said.

He added that TH’s deposit performance remains strong, rising to RM93.35 billion as of November, compared with RM75.9 billion recorded on Dec 31, 2020.

-- BERNAMA