The government will not reveal the status of those who contributed to Tabung Harapan, an initiative created during the Pakatan Harapan administration, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said it was because the identity of the contributors was protected by the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 and the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (BAFIA) 1989.

Apart from that, he said, all Tabung Harapan contributors can also apply for tax exemption as previously stated.

“I would like to inform here, in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 and BAFIA, all information and records of Tabung Harapan contributors cannot be disclosed.

"In relation to the tax issues raised, I would like to inform, all contributors who contribute to Tabung Harapan can apply for tax exemption, and that is up to them," he added.

He said this in reply to a question from Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PAS-Pasir Mas) who wanted to know the latest status regarding the fund.

Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution (PH-Kulim Bandar Bahru) would like to know whether the Ministry of Finance was ready to reveal the status of companies that purportedly received 101 projects through direct negotiations during the Pakatan Harapan era.

Answering the question, Abdul Rahim said, it strayed a little from the original topic which was about the status of Tabung Harapan, but stressed that the problem of direct negotiations was something that Pakatan Harapan promised.

"In my opinion, direct negotiations are not wrong, and it is something that is allowed in our procurement method.

"Only that Pakatan Harapan has included in its manifesto to ensure that there are no more direct negotiations, but they did the opposite," he added.