Waiting Time For Hajj 44 Years, Director General Of The Ministry Of Religion: In Malaysia 140 Years, You Have To Live Three Times Before You Can Do Hajj

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Director General (Dirjen) of the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) Hilman Latief opened his voice regarding the waiting period for Indonesian Hajj which has reached tens of years. According to him, the long queues cannot be separated from the high interest of the people who want to perform worship.

On the other hand, the quota for the departure of pilgrims is relatively stable and tends not to receive a significant increase from the Saudi Arabian government. Especially in the COVID-19 pandemic situation, worship at the Pillars of Islam has been canceled in the last two years so the waiting list is believed to be getting longer.

"The waiting time for our pilgrims (to depart) is 44 years," he said when met in Jakarta on Tuesday, April 27.

This condition, called Hilman, does not only occur in Indonesia but in almost all countries in the world, especially those with a majority Muslim population. He then compared the situation of Indonesia with neighboring Malaysia.

“Yesterday we had the opportunity to meet with one of the Malaysian Ministers. We told them that the waiting time for Indonesian pilgrims was 44 years, then they said that in Malaysia the waiting time could be 140 years," he said.

Hilman then argues that the situation in Indonesia is actually much better. He also said that Malaysians need to have more than one life to be able to perform Hajj.

“To be able to perform Hajj (in Malaysia) you have to live three times. So this is the situation now, we have to instill good intentions which God willing, will be a blessing for all of us," he stressed.

For information, this year Indonesia has the opportunity to send pilgrims again after the Saudi Arabian government previously canceled worship in the Holy Land. From the initial allocation of 220,000 hajj pilgrims per year, in 2022 the number of departures is only allowed around 100,000 people considering the COVID-19 pandemic factor.

Meanwhile, the number of waiting lists for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims currently recorded at the Ministry of Religion reaches 5.2 million people.