Member of the 2024 Special Committee (Pansus) of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Luluk Nur Hamidah, assessed that the discourse on organizing the pilgrimage by sea needs to be thoroughly evaluated.
According to him, the government should focus more on improving Hajj services by air, which is currently the main mode of departure for the congregation.
"If the context is a special package, for example for past romance, it's okay. But if it is used as the main option, of course it must be considered carefully. In fact, our air transportation should be facilitated and the supervision will be increased, because the fleet already exists," Luluk said when met in Jakarta, Sunday, July 13.
He emphasized that the implementation of Hajj by air needs to be seriously evaluated, especially in terms of fleet management and distribution of pilgrims.
One of the critical points, according to him, is the airline's monopoly which is considered unable to accommodate the needs of the congregation optimally.
"We have a lot of domestic flights, and that could be involved. But yesterday the monopoly was given to one airline, and it turned out that it was not able to handle everything. That's what needs to be evaluated," he said.
Luluk said that the idea of Hajj by sea can be carried out in an optional context, such as worship plus religious tourism or exploration of the history of ancient Hajj travel.
"If a special package is made, for example, Hajj plus tourism or tapping traces of the past, that's possible. Even now there are also those who want to imitate the way the Prophet's Hajj is, for example walking from Medina to Makkah. It's legal as long as it's an option and doesn't burden the national system," he said.
However, he emphasized, the sea route option should not be used as an alternative just because the government is not able to manage the air route properly.
"If the state opens a sea route because the air route is unable, this is what needs to be evaluated together. Maybe the problem is not the number of airlines, but the management is not good enough," he said.
Previously, Minister of Religion Nasaruddin Umar said that the sea route hajj discourse had indeed been discussed for a long time, but still needed in-depth studies from various aspects, including cost efficiency and time.
"It has been discussed for a long time. But Malaysia is more aggressive. We still need a lot of consideration. First in terms of time, because it took a long time," said Nasaruddin.
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The Minister of Religion revealed that Indonesia once had a long history of hajj travel by sea, such as the use of the Belle Abeto and Gunung Jati ships in the past. But the travel time can reach three to four months.
"Currently, the ship may be faster. But the sea lane is more suitable for a country that is close to Egypt. We are far away, so it needs to be recalculated," he said.
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