Encouraging The 2025 Hajj Fee Reduction, Members Of Commission VII DPR Ask The Government To Perform Efficiency

UNSPLASH/mubin bold ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA Member of Commission VIII DPR RI, Mahdalena encourages a reduction in the 2025 Hajj Travel Fee (Bipih). He asked the government, in this case the Ministry of Religion and the Hajj Organizing Body, to facilitate the cost of organizing the Hajj pilgrimage from accommodation, transportation, and congregational consumption posts.

"We urge stakeholders who organize Indonesian Hajj, both the Ministry of Religion and the Hajj Organizing Body, to reduce the cost of Hajj that must be borne by pilgrims. So like it or not, there must be a thorough study regarding expenses from accommodation, transportation, and consumption posts so that efficiency occurs," said Mahdalena, Tuesday, December 31.

Mahdalena explained that currently the cost of organizing the pilgrimage borne by the congregation is getting bigger. Moreover, in the midst of economic downturn, according to him, the increase in the cost component that must be borne by prospective pilgrims must be very burdensome.

"When compared to last year there was an increase of almost Rp. 10 million. If the initial deposit was around Rp. 25 million, the repayment that must be borne by prospective pilgrims reached Rp. 40 million. I think this is quite difficult for prospective pilgrims," he said.

Therefore, Mahdalena emphasized, the government must seriously consider the plan to increase costs that must be borne by prospective pilgrims. Instead, he said, the government should make massive efficiency related to the amount of expenditure posts in organizing the pilgrimage.

In general, there are three main posts for financing the pilgrimage, namely transportation, accommodation, and consumption. Now, from these three main posts, we can improve, so that it has an impact on reducing the total cost of organizing the pilgrimage," said the legislator for the NTB electoral district.

For example, added Mahdalena, efficiency for the stay of Indonesian pilgrims in the holy land. If so far the average congregation has to stay for 40 days, he said, is it possible to cut it to only 30 days.

"There must be a study because if it can be cut to 30 days it will have a big impact on spending in accommodation and consumption posts. This will definitely have a significant impact on the decline in total BPIH," he said.

As is known, the Government has proposed the cost of organizing the Hajj pilgrimage (BPIH) in 2025. In the government's proposal, there is a significant increase in the cost of organizing the pilgrimage which must be borne by prospective pilgrims of up to Rp9.3 million compared to 2024.

The details are BPIH 2025 amounting to Rp93.38 million, which is divided into Bipiah pilgrims of Rp65.3 million and from the benefits of government-run hajj funds of Rp28 million. Meanwhile, in 2024, BPIH amounted to Rp94.10 million divided from Bipiah pilgrims of Rp56 million and from the benefits of Hajj funds of Rp37 million.