GOVT OPEN TO SYARIAH-COMPLIANT WAQF LAND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS - MOHD NA'IM

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) -- The Federal government and state Islamic Religious councils (MAIN) are open to any efforts to develop waqf land in Malaysia, provided that such initiatives benefit the entire community and adhere to Syariah law, including fulfilling the original intentions of the waqf.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar, emphasised that all developments on waqf land must conform to existing regulations and laws, such as the National Land Code.

He highlighted that the government remains dedicated to fostering the Islamic economy through waqf land development, as demonstrated by the allocation of development resources in each Malaysia Plan.

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“In addition, the Department of Waqf, Zakat and Hajj (JAWHAR), as a federal agency assisting MAIN with waqf development, provides guidelines and manuals for waqf governance, such as the manual on waqf legal model management.

“Cooperation and strategic collaboration are also encouraged between the public and private sectors. Federal agencies, such as JAWHAR and YWM (Waqaf Foundation Malaysia), are actively engaged with MAIN, alongside corporate sector partners and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to advance waqf development initiatives,” he said, in a written reply at the Dewan Negara today.

He said this in response to a question from Senator Datuk Mohd Hisamudin Yahaya, who inquired about the government's measures to regulate waqf land development, and its impact on driving the Islamic economy, as well as the statistics for property waqf and cash waqf from 2022 to 2024.

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He added that cash waqf collection has seen a significant increase, rising from RM67.19 million in 2020 to RM106 million in 2022. This surge indicates a growing public interest in waqf development, particularly concerning waqf property, and the introduction of new waqf products.

Regarding the Wakaf Tunai Malaysia fund, under YWM, he said that RM12.8 million was collected from 2022 to May this year. This amount reflects contributions from both the community and the corporate sector, including donations made through salary deductions and one-off contributions.

Additionally, the collaboration between federal and state agencies in managing waqf assets has proven successful. For example, the Grand Puteri Hotel in Terengganu and Puteri Bay Hotel in Melaka collectively generated a gross income of RM22.8 million, from 2022 to May this year.

Regarding the Federal Territories, Datuk Mohd Na'im reported that, as of June this year, the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) oversees 89 waqf property lots, covering a total area of 64.67 acres. This includes 64 special waqf properties and 25 general waqf properties.

“In terms of waqf real estate management, MAIWP administers its existing waqf properties including 23 landed houses, 1 non-landed house, three shop lots, and one commercial building,” he said.

“In addition, MAIWP manages 51 land lots, comprising 21 vacant land lots, 12 mosque site lots, nine surau or madrasah site lots, five cemetery sites, and four school sites,” he said, adding that development plans have also been formulated for 21 of these vacant land lots, including those in Setiawangsa and Setapak.

-- BERNAMA