DPR Starts Discussing The Revision Of The Hajj Law Next Week, Regulates The Hajj Organizing Body And Proposals To Become A Ministry

ILLUSTRATION/ANTARA PHOTOS/SIGID KURNIAWAN

Member of Commission VIII DPR Hidayat Nur Wahid said that his party would begin discussing the revision of the Hajj and Umrah Organizing Law after the DPR has finished undergoing a recess next week. The revision of the Hajj Law to provide a legal basis for the Hajj Organizing Body is targeted for completion this year.

"The revision will be discussed during the trial period starting next week, God willing, it will be discussed. And indeed there are many very important things to be resolved immediately. Because next year's Hajj organizers, if it will be carried out by the Hajj organizers, there must be a law. Without this law, this body cannot work, therefore this must be prepared immediately," said Hidayat, Friday, June 20.

"And next year's Hajj must begin to be discussed after the completion of the Hajj season. While we see now in the various problems that arise from the 2025 Hajj organizers, it is clear that one of them needs a solution by strengthening the regulatory aspect," continued HNW.

The member of the PKS faction of the DPR also said that his faction had proposed various things in discussing the revision of the Hajj Law. One of them is an institution that manages Hajj, not an agency but a ministry, namely the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

"Because looking at the authority of the agency, he does not have legs, does not have institutions at the provincial, district, city levels which are derivatives of the agency, different from the ministry. Meanwhile, this pilgrimage manages hundreds of thousands of Indonesian people, which are throughout Indonesia and some are even abroad. It requires strengthening the institutional structure," explained HNW.

He also suggested that the hajj quota be no longer 1:1000 like this year, but 2:1000 for next year. "Why 2:1000? Because the fact is 1:1000 it has been a very long decision, it was the 80s. At that time maybe the number of Muslims was not as many as it is now. The waiting list is not as much as it is now. Then also transportation is not as easy as it is now. Also conditions in Mecca itself may not be as good as it is now," explained HNW.

"In the past, the tawaf place was only 1 floor, now it's up to 5 floors. Sa'i's place used to be only 1 floor, now it's 5 floors. The place where the jumrah was thrown is already 5 floors too. So looking at the waiting list which is now very long, extraordinary, so we propose a breakthrough is for the Government of Indonesia to go through the OIC, because the one who determines the quota is OKI, to propose a change from 1:1000 to 2:1000," he continued.

The Deputy Chairperson of the MPR also proposed that the OIC should allow cooperation between countries whose quota is excessive or unused for use by countries whose quota is insufficient.

"For example, going to Kazakhstan, we don't use the quota there, 5 thousand are not used. Of the 10 thousand quotas, only half of them are used. Meanwhile, Indonesia lacks, so Indonesia proposes to the OIC to restore this kind of cooperation," he explained.

"For example, we also propose about hajj quotas for those specifically, or those that are non-regular, this is not a furodate one, so that it is set at a maximum of 8 percent only. Because the waiting list for regular ones is already unusually long, of course, the justice is for them as well," continued HNW.

HNW also suggested that in addition to istita'ah or material capabilities, health capabilities, it is also important to have an aviation istita'ah.

"What does it mean? In order to be confirmed in the regulations that the planes carrying the pilgrims are really certain to be able to. This means that there are no problems like last year there was a fire, this year there were those who then transited the pilgrims, and so on so that it would not happen again," he said.

"So basically we will discuss this after this recess period is over during the next session, and hopefully it will be completed soon, and we hope that there will be a very good collaboration, the Ministry of Religion with the Hajj Agency and the government, to move this discussion in the best possible way," concluded HNW.