During the visit, he witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Sabah Islamic Religious Council (MUIS) and Dar Al-Ifta Al-Misriyyah, held discussions with Al-Azhar University, officiated the opening of the Al-Imam Al-Tayeb Hall, and attended a Majlis Mahabbah with about 350 Sabah students.

“Tun Musa’s commitment to Sabah students has been longstanding. During his tenure as Chief Minister, he initiated the acquisition of a student hostel in Egypt worth millions of ringgit, ensuring Sabah students had dedicated accommodation at a time when several other Malaysian states had already established similar facilities for their students. 

“This reflected his enduring commitment to the welfare, comfort and future of Sabah’s young people," the statement read.

Addressing claims over the use of the official aircraft to perform Umrah after the visit, the office said the privilege was granted at the discretion of the Sabah government.

It added that the same privilege had also been extended to the previous Yang Dipertua Negeri during his tenure.

“It is therefore regrettable that certain quarters continue to misrepresent Tun Musa’s official travel arrangements as a misuse of public funds.

“Such allegations are baseless and appear intended to tarnish his reputation and draw the Institution of the Yang Dipertua Negeri into partisan political narratives for narrow political interests,” it said.

The office also urged all parties to refrain from spreading false or misleading information and to uphold responsible public discourse based on facts and respect for the institutions of the state.

-- BERNAMA