Minister Of Religion: Rationalization Of BPIH Supports The Sustainability Of Hajj Funds

Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas delivered his remarks at the 2023 Working Meeting of the Hajj Financial Management Agency at the State Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday (12/12/2023). (ANTARA/Yashinta Difa)

Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas emphasized that the policy of rationalizing the value of the benefits of Hajj funds for the Hajj Implementation Fee (BPIH) was decided to support the principles of sustainability and justice.

"When the BPIH submission in 2023, we took an unpopular step with 70 percent (hajj costs) paid by pilgrims and the remaining 30 percent of the value of benefits. This step is not popular indeed, but we have to take it solely to support the sustainability of the hajj funds," said Minister of Religion Yaqut at the 2023 Working Meeting of the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) at the State Palace, Jakarta, as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, December 12.

Minister of Religion Yaqut emphasized the importance of the sustainability of hajj funds, because in recent years the government has recorded a higher ratio of the value of benefits to BPIH.

In 2010 the value of benefits only contributed 12.91 percent of the total BPIH or equivalent to Rp4.5 million. However, this figure continued to rise until it reached its peak in 2022 of 59.21 percent or equivalent to Rp57.9 million.

This means, he said, that pilgrims are only burdened with payments of 40.79 percent or Rp. 39.9 million of the total costs that must be paid to depart for Hajj of Rp. 97.8 million, while the rest is paid from the value of the benefits of hajj funds.

"In our opinion, this is an unhealthy behavior. Supposedly, the pilgrims who go to pay in a larger percentage because there is a conditionistitha 'ah in the departure of the pilgrimage in principle between finance and istitha'ah healthily," said Minister of Religion Yaqut.

If this continues, he continued, in the next few years the pilgrims will experience a sharp increase in the payment of Hajj costs because the value of benefits that are no longer able to support BPIH.

"Untungnya... untuk penyelenggaraan haji tahun depan rasio nilai manfaat terhadap BPIH sudah mulai dirasionalisasi dari semula 44,68 persen pada 2023 menjadi 40 persen untuk 2024," kata Menag.

The government and Commission VIII of the DPR have determined a BPIH of Rp. 93.4 million with prospective Hajj participants only paying a Hajj Travel Fee (Bipih) of Rp. 56 million (60 percent) per person, while the rest is taken from the value of the benefits of BPKH management results of Rp. 37.3 million (40 percent).

"When talking about justice, the value of benefits in the current year is actually not only the right of the congregation to depart in that year, but also the right of 5,251,454 pilgrims who are on the waiting list, whose departure is still waiting for 11-47 years," said Minister of Religion Yaqut.

Realizing that the value of benefits should not only be given to pilgrims who are leaving for Hajj, the Minister of Religion said that BPKH has started to share the value of benefits through virtual accounts to pilgrims in the queue list, although the amount is not as large as for pilgrims departing in the current year.

Since 2018-2023, he said, it has been recorded that Rp11.6 trillion has been distributed to pilgrims who are on the waiting list.

"If the use of the value of benefits for pilgrims for the year of running can be reduced, the assumption is that the value of the virtual benefits distributed will also be even greater," said Minister of Religion Yaqut.