Chairman Of DPD Asks Government To Absorb Calhaj Aspirations Before Raising Hajj Costs

Illustration. (Achmad Basarrudin/VOI)

JAKARTA - Chairman of DPD RI La Nyalla Mahmud Mattalitti assessed that the government and related institutions need to absorb the aspirations and objections of the community before setting the increase in hajj costs in 2021.

Where the increase in hajj costs this year is projected to reach Rp 9.1 million per person. Or up from Rp35.2 million in 2020 to a total of Rp44.3 million in 2021.

"The number of objections I'm sure won't be small. Considering that not all prospective pilgrims have a safe economy or are not affected by COVID-19. It is good that this complaint is absorbed also so that there is a solution for hajj this year," said La Nyalla, Wednesday, April 7.

According to him, if the government is forced to increase the cost of hajj then input from prospective pilgrims needs to be considered for the policy making.

"This increase needs to be considered carefully. If indeed the increase is inevitable and burdensome to the state budget, the government needs to immediately socialize the increase so as not to be the objection of the prospective pilgrims," said the Senator from East Java.

"We do not want this to be a controversy in the midst of the high COVID-19 outbreak," he added.

In addition, said La Nyalla, the most important thing is the question of certainty when hajj is permissible. Do not let, prospective pilgrims are ready but the government of Saudi Arabia apparently has not allowed.

"The certainty of departure should be a priority information to calhaj," he said.