Minister Of Religion: Elderly Hajj Prioritized To Return Home First To Indonesia

Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas/PHOTO VIA BETWEEN

Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas ensured that the elderly (elderly) Hajj participants with high risk were the priority to go home first or "tanazul" to the country.

"We have ordered all staff to prioritize high-risk pilgrims (crysties) for the elderly to be sent home first or tanazul because I think this is also good for the health of the elderly and ristiini pilgrims," he said at King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, ahead of his return to Indonesia, reported by ANTARA, Friday, July 7.

According to Gus Men, the Minister of Religion's nickname, elderly pilgrims with high risk do not have to linger in Saudi Arabia.

"So the elderly pilgrims do not need to wait longer here because we know the weather is very extreme, different from the situation in Indonesia," he said.

The Minister of Religion explained that the mechanism for his return was to fill the vacant seats on the plane.

"The technicality is the same when leaving, yes. Returning must be empty. We will fill the vacant chairs with the elderly and risti according to their respective embarkations," he said.

For the elderly pilgrims who were sent home early, he said, there was no need to worry because on the plane there were officers who would be his companions.

"On the plane there are officers from health, PPIH also has PPHD. So I don't think there is any need to worry about family at home. No need to worry, just pray so that the congregation that we will bring home will be healthy and safe in the country," he said.

The Minister of Religion also appreciated all Indonesian pilgrims who were relatively orderly and followed the rules made by both the Saudi and Indonesian governments during the implementation of the pilgrimage.

Asked about the need for companions for the elderly while at the hotel, Gus Yaqut realized that the services for the elderly may be lacking or have no companions in their respective rooms.

"We have calculated it and we ask all standby officers when needed," he said.

At this year's Hajj, the number of Indonesian pilgrims received a normal quota of 221,000 people and 67,000 of them were elderly and they were not accompanied by companions.

"Indeed, technically this is not easy but it will be even more difficult if we provide a quota of companions. Now this will damage and interfere with many things, both the queue system and then there are spaces that might actually harm other pilgrims, if we include the companion, the queue for the congregation that must depart, he shifts because the quota is taken by this companion," he said.

The Minister of Religion admitted that he did not want that to happen. For this reason, his party decided to eliminate companions for the elderly pilgrims.

"We want this congregation to be able to go to worship in a just way. It's fair in our translation, it's like that," he said.

He has met with the Minister of Saudi Arabia and conveyed that the quota of officers given to Indonesia this year is still far from ideal.

"Because we calculate the number (of Hajj officers, red) probabilities, one in 50, one officer compared to 50 pilgrims, is certainly difficult. Even though we know that there are officers scattered everywhere at the airport in Mecca, and Medina, so of course the load of the officers is very heavy," he said.

Therefore, said the Minister of Religion, it will be negotiated that in the future the officers will be given not based on proportions but based on needs, for example, needs in Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina (Armuzna) are different from needs outside Armuzna.

"Later in the future we will try and discuss with the Saudi government how officers in Armuzna will only serve at that time, after that we can return to the country. So we have discussed the meeting of several possibilities that can be done next year so that congregational services are better," said Yaqut Cholil Qoumas.