Maybank Islamic?

Aku bukan alim, tapi insaf dan takut nak involve dalam hidup yang singkat ini dengan riba. So aku pun beli rumah secara pinjaman Islam dari Maybank. Masa tu tengah Asian financial crisis, DSAI dengan sukacitanya menaikkan interest rates sebagai cara menggembirakan bankers sambil menyiksa rakyat. Aku pun terkena 9.75% interest rate selepas di-Islamkan oleh Maybank ianya disebut sebagai al-Bai Bitamin Ajil. Kawan aku yang ambil pinjaman secara conventional dari bank luar negara (masa tu 8%) ketawakan aku sebab diperbodohkan dengan fixed interest yang amat tinggi namun aku diam apabila mengingatkan betapa selesanya bersembahyang didalam rumah yang ‘sejuk’.


Selepas 6 tahun, kawan aku receive from his conventional bank an offer to reduce the interest rate in order to stay within current interest ceiling set by Bank Negara. Further, last 2 years his interest lowered again as a strategy to make customers remain with them or to avoid refinancing with other bank. Do you know how wonderful the Maybank Islamic banking?

1. I did not receive any humanitarian offer from Maybank even after I enquire/request about it. Therefore Maybank’s Islamic is no better than riba.

2. I will not get any reduction for early full settlement. Therefore riba style is more helpful than Maybank’s Islamic. No way out.
Example: Developer sold RM100k to Maybank and I agreed to buy RM250k to repay in 20years. After 10 years or paid RM125k, Maybank still insist the balance of RM125k for cash settlement that will include the future 10 years interest. Is that really Islamic?

Sejarah aku berurusan dengan Maybank bermula pada awal 1980an. Aku antara yang terawal mendapat Execard, lepas tu dapat Priority Banking dan yang juga yang terawal menggunakan Maybank2u. After several discrepancies and inconveniences with them, I disassociated myself from Maybank except I can not run away from their so called Islamic housing loan. Current accounts, savings and insurances for the whole family and company semuanya dah terminated soon after I discovered their buaya type attitude towards rakyat Malaysia. Now I am very happy with overseas banks particularly HSBC and local RHB.

The government or Bank Negara is supposed to have some kind of authority to determine whether an Islamic banking is really delivering Islamic concept – to help ummah and share the profit besides other syariah requirements. Objectively, Maybank is tarnishing the beauty of Islam by hiding behind the technical akad-shield. Finance Minister and BNM Governor are also responsible endorsing the ugly look of Islamic banking in Malaysia. No wonder most middle-east banks did not fully recognised our Islamic banking. Islam is indeed a way of life with clear objective and detail process to achieve it. Method must be right and result shall be fair for both parties.

From the said facts, any Muslims should agree with me that practicing riba is better and more humanitarian than the so called Maybank Islamic loan. Kawan-kawan aku tu sebenarnya ada Islam dan bukan, so they are laughing louder at me. Are you?