KOTA KINABALU:The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Sabah has submitted nine recommendations to enhance governance practices within the Zakat and Fitrah Division of the Sabah Islamic Religious Council (MUIS).
The initiative aims to strengthen integrity, accountability, and transparency in the management of zakat distribution across the state.
Among the key recommendations is a proposal to refine Clauses 5.3.1 and 5.3.2 of the Zakat Distribution Management Procedure Manual (2023 Amendment).
This is to clearly define “individual” as referring to staff members of the Zakat and Fitrah Division, while “organisation” refers to the Zakat Collection Agents.
Other recommendations include expanding the list of directly involved personnel, particularly those handling zakat collection, distribution, and financial matters, under the Zakat and Fitrah Division’s administrative purview.
MACC Sabah director Datuk Mohd Fuad Bee Basrah also proposed setting reasonable financial limits for expenditure, which must be referred to and approved by the MUIS Supreme Council before any spending or decision is made.
“The nine recommendations were identified through a governance review of the division’s operational practices, systems, and procedures concerning zakat fund management, as detailed in the 2023 revised manual,” he said.
Fuad added that they signed the Governance Improvement Report at the MUIS office last Friday with MUIS secretary and chief executive officer Datuk Ramlan Awang Ali.
Meanwhile, Ramlan welcomed the recommendations and pledged to act on them to address any identified weaknesses.
“I would like to express my sincere appreciation to MACC Sabah for assisting MUIS in closing potential loopholes for corruption, abuse of power, and mismanagement,” he said.
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