BPKH: In Principle, We Will Return Requests For Cancellation And Disbursement Because This Is Congregational Money

Head of BPKH Anggito Abimanyu during a webinar related to hajj funds in Jakarta, Monday, June 7. (Zubi Mahrofi/Antara)

JAKARTA - The Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) admits that it is ready to return funds to prospective pilgrims who wish to withdraw their funds after the cancellation of the 2021 hajj.

"In principle, we will return the request for cancellation and disbursement, because this is the money our pilgrims have to serve," said BPKH Head Anggito Abimanyu in a webinar related to hajj funds in Jakarta, Monday, as reported by Antara.

However, he warned that prospective pilgrims who withdraw their hajj funds will lose the queue for the pilgrimage.

"If withdrawn, of course, it will result in losing the queue, the process starts again. So there are consequences," he said.

Anggito admitted that some prospective pilgrims had withdrawn their funds, but it was still in a reasonable stage.

"There are no piles of withdrawals of funds. The congregations paid off regular delays as many as 196,865 pilgrims, then around 600 pilgrims canceled, the figure continues to move, so it is approximately 0.3 percent. So it is still relatively well managed," he explained.

He appealed to prospective pilgrims to keep placing their funds in BPKH or in Islamic banks appointed by BPKH because there are benefits. "We manage it well and the value of the benefits can also be felt by waiting pilgrims in the form of virtual accounts," he said.

On that occasion, Anggito also said that almost half of the cost of hajj departure was subsidized by BPKH through the management of the pilgrims' benefit funds.

He added that the average pilgrimage cost of Rp70 million. However, the congregation only paid Rp35 million in cash

"The BPKH was given the mandate to subsidize, to find funds to subsidize the real costs of Hajj pilgrims when they departed. As is well known, the real cost of Hajj or BPIH (Hajj Organizing Fees) is Rp70 million. So the rest must be sought from sources for developing funds of Hajj by BPKH," he explained.

Anggito said that the investment allocation was aimed at investments with a "low to moderate" risk profile. 90 percent of the investment is in the form of state sharia securities and corporate Sukuk.

"Of course there are other investments that all have a low to moderate risk profile," he said.

In investing Hajj funds, he added, BPKH has also obtained permission from the owner of the funds.

"There is already a permit in the form of a power of attorney or wakalah contract from the pilgrims to the BPKH as the legitimate representative of the congregation to receive deposits, develop and utilize it for the needs of the pilgrims to travel for the pilgrimage," he explained.