Tithe collectors slow on the count
By Laila Rahman

Facilitators at the workshop (left to right): Dyg Habibah bte Salleh, Dyg Hajah Mariam bte Hj Salleh and Ustazah Hjh Norzainah bte Mohd Tahir.

Tithe collectors who attended the workshop organized by Audit Department.

Tithe collectors, albeit the good deed, were taken to task yesterday for long delays in submitting their collection to the right channels and thus affecting the efficiency of monthly fund distribution.

This was revealed at the workshop organised by the Mosque Affairs Department, Ministry of Religious Affairs, jointly with the Audit Department of the Prime Minister's Office and Brunei Islamic Religious Council, which was held at the Ministry of Religious Affairs yesterday.

About 70 tithe collectors from the Brunei Muara District and Temburong District attended the workshop, with Dyg Hajah Mariam bte Hj Salleh, Dyg Habibah bte Salleh, Awang Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Md Said and Awang Zakariyia bin Haji Kamis holding court as facilitators from the Audit Department.

At the workshop, it was disclosed that Audit Department checks showed that the tithe collection procedures and monthly funding distribution were inefficient.

The lapse was blamed on delays made by tithe collectors when presenting their collection to the Collection Unit and Tithe Distribution, Islamic Religious Council, or its branches throughout the country.

The tithe collectors took as long as 138 to 192 days, or some four to nine months, after expiry of the deadline.

They also said some tithe collectors only presented their 'Collection 2002' in September 2003 when the deadline was December 2002.

The Audit Department pointed out that due to the long delay, the tithe collection may be lost, destroyed by fire or stolen, or misused as it could be accredited into bank accounts.

They were also told to produce formal receipts that have been prepared by the Brunei Islamic Religious Council as evidence when they received a tithe.

Furthermore, the tithe collectors are to use different receipt books for 'Beras Wangi' tithe and 'Beras Siam' tithe for the convenience of calculations.

The tithe collectors should also ensure that receipts tally with the amount of tithe paid.

Courtesy of Sunday Bulletin