JAKARTA - The Association of Muslim Hajj and Umrah Organizers of the Republic of Indonesia (AMPHURI) has urged the government to increase the role of the private sector in organizing the Hajj pilgrimage.
"Because the Hajj is closely linked to Saudi Arabia. We must recognize that Saudi Arabia, with its Vision 2030, has much better and more modern governance with digitalization," said AMPHURI Chairman Firman Muhammad Nur in Jakarta on Friday, July 1.
Firman stated that the proposal to increase private sector involvement aligns with Saudi Arabia's current policy of allocating a large portion to the private sector in serving prospective Hajj pilgrims.
According to him, not only Saudi Arabia, but many countries have successfully allocated a large portion to the private sector in organizing the Hajj, such as Malaysia, Turkey, and Pakistan. "Indonesia can also consider involving regulated private companies to improve the quality of service," he said.
Of Turkey's 80,000 Hajj quota, 60 percent is allocated to the private sector. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, of the 179,000 annual Hajj quota, 50 percent is managed by the private sector.
In Malaysia, the private sector is also allocated a 20 percent share, while in Indonesia, of the 210,000 Hajj quota, only 8 percent is entrusted to the private sector, known as Special Hajj.
Amendment to the Hajj Bill
In the draft Hajj and Umrah Bill currently being discussed in the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Article 8 paragraph (4) states that the special Hajj quota is a maximum of 8 percent.
This represents a setback compared to Law No. 8 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of the Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimage, Article 64 paragraph (2), which stipulates that the special Hajj quota is set at 8 percent.
Firman stated that the amendment to the Hajj and Umrah Law must meet public expectations for improved Hajj governance in the future. Furthermore, the amended Hajj and Umrah Law must align with conditions in Saudi Arabia.
"They (Saudi Arabia) allocate a very large proportion of the Hajj management to the private sector. We hope this will also be the case in Indonesia," said Firman.
The plenary session of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) on July 24, 2025, approved the draft Hajj and Umrah Bill. Of the eight factions in the DPR RI, only the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction in its opinion stated that the special Hajj quota should be a maximum of 8 percent. The other seven factions did not mention any restrictions on the special Hajj quota.
Amphuri believes that the phrase "highest" in the draft Hajj and Umrah Bill, which determines the special Hajj quota, is flexible, non-binding, and prone to manipulation.
This creates legal uncertainty and threatens the sustainability of special Hajj services, which have proven effective for over a decade.
According to him, the realization of the special Hajj quota has so far been around 8 percent and is managed professionally by the PIHK, without significant disruption to national Hajj implementation.
Therefore, he stated, unilaterally reducing the quota without any objective basis is a form of restriction on pilgrims' rights to choose legitimate and quality pilgrimage services.
"AMPHURI recommends that this provision be amended to read, 'The special Hajj quota is set at at least 8 percent of the national quota.' With this formulation, the state retains oversight while providing legal certainty and justice for pilgrims and organizers," he said.
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