Grateful For Umrah For Indonesia To Be Re-opened, DPR Asks The Government To Immediately Follow Up On Technical Problems

Umrah Opened for Indonesian Congregants (Photo: Pexels)

JAKARTA - Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives welcomes the steps taken by Indonesia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to sign a diplomatic note on October 8, 2021, to open the door for Indonesian pilgrims to enter the country.

Deputy Chairman of Commission VIII of the DPR, Ace Hasan Syadzily, said all parties should be grateful for The reopening of Umrah for Muslims from Indonesia.

"The policy of reopening Umrah pilgrims by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Indonesia cannot be separated from the increasingly controlled handling of COVID-19 in Indonesia," Ace told reporters, Sunday, October 10.

In principle, for Commission VIII of the DPR, he continued, with this policy, the government of Saudi Arabia has shown confidence in Indonesia in handling COVID-19.

"This is encouraging news that is expected to fulfill the longing of Indonesian Muslims to make pilgrimages to the holy land," said the West Java legislator. technical implementation of Umrah.

Therefore, the Golkar politician asked the Government of Indonesia through the Ministry of Religion to immediately follow up by discussing the technical implementation of the details. Especially regarding health protocols and related provisions in organizing Umrah in the holy land. "Of course it will be related to the health protocol and the need for the cost of organizing Umrah which will be given to Umrah organizers in Indonesia," said Ace. Previously, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the memorandum Diplomatic agreements can be agreed in line with the development of the handling of COVID-19 in Indonesia which is getting better.

"The diplomatic note also states that the two parties are in the final stages of discussing the exchange of technical links with Indonesia, which explains visitors' information regarding vaccines and will facilitate the process of entering pilgrims," said Retno in her statement, Saturday, October 9.

The memorandum also states that pilgrims from Indonesia are required to quarantine for five days if they do not meet the required health standards.

This policy was established after the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Jakarta stated that it had received information from competent parties in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the arrangement for the resumption of Umrah for Indonesian Umrah pilgrims.

Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is currently working to minimize all obstacles that prevent the possibility of Indonesian Umrah pilgrims not being able to perform Umrah.

"Of course we will follow up this good news with a more detailed discussion of the technical implementation," he added.

He said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would continue to coordinate with the Ministry of Religion and the Ministry of Health as well as with relevant authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the implementation of the new Saudi Arabian Government's policies.

"I myself have coordinated and communicated both with the Minister of Health and with the Minister of Religion. As friends know that my last meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia occurred on the sidelines of the implementation of the 76th UN General Assembly in New York. ," he said.

It is known previously, Saudi Arabia has closed the door for Umrah for pilgrims from Indonesia to perform this worship since February 2021. The kingdom is only open to 11 countries that can enter Saudi Arabia.

One of the rules, the acceptance of pilgrims, only allows pilgrims who have received vaccine injections who have received the Emergency Use Listing Procedure (EUL) from the WHO. Namely, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca.

Meanwhile, Indonesia mostly uses Sinovac vaccine, which is the problem. However, since the Sinovac vaccine has been included in the WHO vaccine list, along with Indonesia, which has used other types of vaccines including AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Moderna, the opportunity for Umrah pilgrims from Indonesia is open again.