Ease the Burden of Pilgrims, the DPR asks the Government to Efficiently Manage the 2027 Hajj Fund

Member of Commission VIII of the DPR from the PKB Faction, Maman Imanul Haq, asked the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Kemenhaj) to review the proposal to increase the Cost of Carrying Out the Hajj (BPIH) in 2027. He urged the Kemenhaj to prioritize budget efficiency in order to ease the burden of prospective pilgrims.

"We ask that the proposal be reviewed. The Ministry of Religion must ensure that the management and use of Hajj funds is carried out optimally so that it can alleviate the burden of costs borne by the pilgrims," Maman told reporters, Wednesday, July 8.

Previously, the Ministry of Religion officially proposed an increase in the BPIH 2027 figure to Rp107,340,172.02 per pilgrim. This figure jumped sharply by around Rp19.93 million compared to the 2026 BPIH, with the calculation of the assumption of a rate of Rp17,500 per US dollar and Rp4,666.67 per Saudi riyal.

Based on the data proposed by the Ministry of Manpower, the largest portion of the budget or around 56.73 percent (Rp60,891,068) is allocated for operations in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, the remaining 43.27 percent (Rp46,449,103) is sucked for domestic cost components.

Although the proposal from the Ministry of Religion is not final, according to Maman, the Ministry of Religion must first optimize the use of Hajj funds instead of immediately depositing it into the public's pockets.

"We hope that with the Ministry of Religion, the implementation of the hajj will not only be optimal in terms of services but also efficient in budget management," he said.

Maman assessed that with Indonesia's status as the largest pilgrim sending country in the world, the government should have strong bargaining power. This massive scale, he said, should be the main capital for the Ministry of Religion to pressure prices when negotiating with accommodation, catering, and transportation providers in Saudi Arabia.

He also reminded the Ministry of Religion not to walk outside the policy corridor of the head of state. According to him, efforts to reduce the cost of the hajj are crucial to be in line with the vision of social justice carried out by the current government.

"The re-examination must be carried out carefully to ensure that the costs charged to the congregation can be suppressed as much as possible. This is also in line with President Prabowo's direction that the cost of Hajj is increasingly affordable for the public," he explained.

Furthermore, this PKB legislator gave a thick note regarding the correlation between costs and facilities. He warned that the increase in costs would not be in vain without a leap in the quality of service in the field.

He also reminded that the valuation of the implementation of previous years must be a compass for improvement.

"Next year's Hajj service must be better. The Ministry of Religion must ensure that pilgrims receive safe, comfortable, timely, and quality services. Do not let the cost increase, but the quality of service does not experience significant improvement," concluded Maman.