Malaysian haj pilgrims first to be issued visas this year - Na'im

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar said the success was due to early preparation by Tabung Haji (TH) in various aspects, including system management and commitment of its workforce.

"With our capability in terms of commitment and existing systems, when visa applications were opened, we were the first to manage them quickly... that's the basis and of course via contracts, agreements that we manage from the start, it gets easier.

"So I congratulate TH for their efficiency till we managed to obtain visas early," he said at a media conference after reviewing the visa and passport processing for haj pilgrims at Menara Tabung Haji here last night, together with TH board chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Hussain and TH executive director Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman.

On last night's visit, he said it was to foster ties and observe TH personnel, including part time workers appointed for the processing.

"Alhamdulillah, I got to meet them, share a few words and thank them for helping TH. They are very vital because if we fail to obtain the visas, our pilgrims can't perform the haj," Mohd Na'im said.

He had also distributed food packs to TH workers earlier during his visit.

-- BERNAMA