Urgent, Komnas Haji Encourages Commission VIII To Immediately Set 2025 Hajj Fees

Illustration of the pilgrimage. (Izuddin Helmi Adnan-Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The National Hajj Commission (Komnas Hajj) encourages Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives to immediately determine the cost of organizing the Hajj pilgrimage 1446 Hijri/2025 AD considering the increasingly tight time.

"The time is tight. I am worried that preparations for the implementation of the Hajj will not be maximally disrupted," said Komnas Haji Mustolih Siradj head in Jakarta, Friday, November 29, quoted by Antara.

He explained that the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage was only a few months away. Referring to the plan that has been prepared by the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag), on May 2, 2025, it is the first batch of flights to the Holy Land.

This means, he said, if you count from today there are only five months left. However, until now Commission VIII of the DPR RI has not agreed and set the amount of the hajj fee and is related to various other technical preparations, including the amount of the quota for pilgrims.

"Whereas December 2024 to January 2025 the DPR will enter a recess period. Reflecting on the 2024 Hajj season, early November 2023 the Hajj Committee has worked in a marathon and at the end of November the results of the BPIH agreement have been submitted to the President," said Mustorih.

The Jakarta State Islamic University (UIN) lecturer is worried that the preparation of the Hajj that is too short and tight will have an impact on the implementation of the pilgrimage which is not optimal.

On the other hand, pilgrims who are prospective for Hajj need immediate certainty of the amount of costs that must be paid and the scheduled departure.

"Many prospective pilgrims can not pay off because of the lack of socialization and suddenly, so there will be many unabsorbed Hajj quotas," he said.

According to him, organizing the pilgrimage requires careful preparation because it involves various technical aspects, especially held in Saudi Arabia, including the preparation of visa documents, passports, flights, aspects of health, consumption, accommodation, transportation, manasik, and so on.

All of these aspects require a fee, therefore it must be calculated carefully which will later be included in the components of the Hajj Implementation Fee (BPIH).

"Where in it (BPIH) there is also a Hajj Travel Cost (Bipih) that must be paid off by prospective pilgrims and how much value the benefits of the Hajj funds will be subsidized from the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH)," he said.

Various contracts for hotel financing in Makkah, Medina, consumption, transportation, health, costs at Masya'ir including accommodation in Arafah and Mina must be carried out immediately and must not be late.

If it is late, he said, the risk is that the location of the pilgrims is placed far from the centers of the zone / ring one which is close to the center for organizing the pilgrimage, such as the Grand Mosque, the Prophet's Mosque, and especially the accommodation in Mina to carry out worship in Jamarat.

If the place is far away, he continued, then the congregation needs more energy, especially for the elderly and those with a high risk of health. Assistance to officers also needs greater concentration.