Prabowo Flies To Saudi Arabia At The End Of January, Additional Lobby For Hajj Quota 2025

JAKARTA President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to fly to Saudi Arabia at the end of January 2025 to lobby the addition of Indonesian Hajj quotas. This step is expected to reduce the length of the waiting list for prospective pilgrims, who are now touching the figure of more than 5 million people.

Chairman of Commission VIII of the House of Representatives, Marwan Dasopang, revealed that President Prabowo will meet with the Saudi Arabian authorities, including King Salman, to discuss the potential for additional hajj quotas.

"God willing, he will travel at the end of January. We hope he meets King Salman so that Indonesia's hajj quota can be increased," Marwan said after meeting the President at the State Palace, Tuesday, January 7.

By 2025, Indonesia is scheduled to receive a hajj quota of 221,000 pilgrims. The quota consists of 201,000 for regular pilgrims, 17,680 for special congregations, 1,572 for regional Hajj officers, and 685 for guidance from the Hajj and Umrah Guidance Group (KBIHU).

However, this figure is considered not enough to overcome the length of the hajj queue, especially for elderly pilgrims whose health conditions are often a concern.

"This quota still needs additional to parse the length of the waiting list. Moreover, there are many prospective pilgrims who are elderly and must depart immediately," explained Marwan.

Commission VIII of the House of Representatives hopes that the lobbying carried out by Prabowo to the Saudi Arabian authorities can generate an additional hajj quota of between 5,000 and 10,000 people. This addition is considered important to accelerate the departure of prospective pilgrims who have been waiting for years.

In addition to relying on the presidential lobby, the DPR is also considering other steps, including the possibility of revising the Hajj Law to make it more flexible in the management of quotas. One option is to cooperate with countries that do not use all their hajj quotas.

"We will also explore the possibility of cooperation with friendly countries whose hajj quota is not used, so that we can dispatch more prospective pilgrims," added Marwan.

This step reflects the commitment of the government and the DPR to fight for the needs of Indonesian pilgrims, especially in the midst of the long waiting list which is the main concern of the community.