Delayed By 2 Years, 715 Prospective Aceh Hajj Pilgrims Apply For Delegation Of Portions To Families

JAKARTA - The postponement of the departure of pilgrims from Indonesia for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic has an impact on shifting quotas. The Regional Office of the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) of Aceh Province said that as many as 715 prospective Aceh Embarkation Hajj pilgrims delegated the Hajj portion numbers to their families from 2021 to early 2022.

Head of the Hajj and Umrah Organizing Division of the Aceh Provincial Ministry of Religion's Regional Office, Arijal in Banda Aceh, Monday, said that as many as 696 pilgrims will delegate portions throughout 2021 and 19 pilgrims will delegate in January 2022.

"We collect this data from all regencies/cities in Aceh, and the delegation is carried out at the Aceh Ministry of Religion's Regional Office," Arijal said as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, February 1.

He explained that the delegation of the portion could only be accepted by the Ministry of Religion for two reasons, namely because the prospective pilgrim died or suffered from permanent illness.

"The assignment of portion numbers can only be done to husband, wife, father, mother, biological children or siblings, who are appointed through the power of delegation of portion numbers," said Arijal.

Arijal said that the service for the transfer of portions is now centralized in the One Stop Integrated Service (PTSP) of the Aceh Ministry of Religion's Regional Office. Previously, the assignment of portion numbers could only be done in Jakarta.

"But since there are some equipment, facilities, and admins, they are delegated to the Regional Office, this service for God's guests can be easier in the province. Even if needed, to make it easier for pilgrims, the regional office team who visits the Ministry of Religion will be closer to the congregation's domicile ," he said.

According to Arijal, the delegation of the portion number of the pilgrims who died or was permanently sick had been regulated in the Decree of the Directorate General of Hajj and Umrah Organization Number 130 of 2020.

"For this reason, until now, if you go for Hajj this year, the total quota for Aceh's Hajj in 2022 is 4,192 pilgrims," he said.