PPIU Advance Team Departs For Saudi Arabia Amid The Ban On Abroad, DPR Commission VIII: Create An Umrah Experience

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JAKARTA - The chairman of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Yandri Susanto, responded to the news that a number of advance teams from the Umrah Travel Organizer (PPIU) were leaving for Saudi Arabia to perform the inaugural Umrah, Thursday, December 23, tonight.

The PPIU team departed when the government appealed to the public not to travel abroad.

Yandri admitted that he had no problem with the advance team from organizing the Umrah trip to go to the Holy Land. It's just that, you must continue to adhere to health protocols (prokes) strictly, including quarantine.

"Yes, it's okay, the most important thing is the process, going home will be quarantined," Yandri said when contacted, Thursday, December 23.

According to the chairman of the House of Representatives Commission VIII, it is important for PPIU to experience Umrah for themselves in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because Yandri said, PPIU also needs to know every detail of the implementation of Umrah that is being implemented by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at this time.

"Those from the travel organizers need to know the details in the Holy Land," he said.

The PAN politician assessed that PPIU's experience was important as a reference for the rituals of prospective pilgrims who would be dispatched in the future.

"This is for them to convey rituals in the midst of a pandemic, not just watching or reading the news, but feeling and seeing firsthand all the rules for Umrah in the midst of a pandemic," said Yandri.

It is known, as many as 25 advance teams from the Umrah Travel Organizer (PPIU) will go to the Holy Land to carry out the first Umrah, Thursday, December 23, tonight.

The advance team was represented by five associations, namely Ampuh, Amphuri, Asphuri, Asphurindo, and Himpuh.

"God willing, this advance team will leave tonight to try out the system and the selected people. For trial and error related to the system created by the government between Siskopatuh, PeduliLindung and Tawakalna," said Secretary General of the Central Executive Board of the Muslim Association of Hajj and Umrah Organizers of the Republic of Indonesia ( DPP AMPHURI), Farid Aljawi in Jakarta, Thursday, December 23.

This initial departure was a follow-up to the travel association's request to the Ministry of Religion to keep sending pilgrims during the pandemic. This is to provide information to the public, both related to Umrah during the pandemic and the new provisions implemented by Saudi Arabia.

"If it is postponed, it becomes a polemic because why is it okay to go abroad but not for Umrah. All Umrah is not ready if it is in large numbers, if it is not ready in small quantities, including the first departing now," he said.