SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) is collaborating with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to ensure the prevention of any misappropriation of public funds directed to its agencies and institutions.
Acknowledging isolated cases of misappropriation of tithe funds in the state, its chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof emphasised the need to forestall any recurrence, despite the relatively modest amounts involved.
"We've recently been made aware of cases reported in the media concerning an Islamic religious council where a notable sum of tithe funds wasn't submitted to the state tithe board. A similar incident has surfaced in Selangor. Though not widespread, we've taken follow-up actions, including filing police reports.
"To prevent a repeat, we will take action against those involved, reminding everyone to abstain from such actions within religious institutions like Mais," he said following his New Year's message and the launch of Mais' Anti-Corruption Plan.
Considering that tithe collections in Selangor are the highest, Abdul Aziz emphasised the crucial role of Mais in instilling confidence among tithe contributors, assuring them that their funds are managed diligently without any misappropriation, down to the last cent.
Abdul Aziz said Mais has actively sought MACC's assistance, particularly in matters related to acquisitions and management in mosques and surau, as well as the distribution of funds for charity, tithe, or endowments, aiming to uphold transparency and prevent corruption or misappropriation.
"This is because some contributors simply hand over their contributions, entrusting the recipient to handle their donation.
"We are hopeful that the MACC will guide us in establishing effective measures to prevent corruption," he said. - Bernama
