PKB Party Urges Jokowi To Intervene In Persuading Saudi Arabia To Ensure Hajj Quota For Indonesian Pilgrims

JAKARTA - The National Awakening Party (PKB) urges President Joko Widodo to immediately intervene through diplomacy to coordinate with the Saudi Arabian government to ensure Indonesia's quota for hajj.

The reason is, even though it has entered the month of Ramadan, there is no certainty how much quota Indonesia will get. In fact, the Hajj preparations must be completed at the beginning of the next Shawwal, or only one month remaining.

"If the Saudis don't announce it, the preparations will not be optimal," said a member of Commission VIII of the House of Representatives (DPR), Maman Imanulhaq, to reporters, Monday, April 4.

The Deputy Secretary of the PKB Party Central Executive Board (DPP) Syuro Council asked President Jokowi through the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Religion to immediately make diplomatic efforts to speed up the announcement of Indonesia's Hajj quota.

Apart from the government, said Maman, all communication channels, including the DPR, mass organizations, and community leaders, must also continue to be carried out so that the hajj quota can be immediately confirmed.

"We can't just wait and hear the answer 'God willing'. We need certainty about the amount of the quota. The president must step in. Everyone must strengthen this pressure through diplomacy and communication," said Maman.

This member of the House of Representatives Commission VIII Hajj Panja also proposed to increase the tenure of the Hajj Affairs Office official. Considering the transition period for the implementation of the pilgrimage that requires urgent preparation.

"Following the withdrawal of the Hajj quota from the Saudi government, preparations are also getting minimal. Therefore, we need to extend the term of office of the Haj Affairs Office Officer, whose current plan has expired," explained Maman.

Maman said that the delay in preparation time was not the fault of the Hajj Affairs Office. This is because the Saudi Arabian government is currently looking at and evaluating the implementation of Umrah Ramadan as a material for decisions to organize Hajj and the number of hajj quotas worldwide.

"Indeed, the current condition is an unusual situation, because the pandemic has changed the situation. Saudi Arabia is still making improvements and evaluations by maximizing Umrah pilgrims," said Maman.

For this reason, Maman encourages intensive dissemination of information to prospective Indonesian pilgrims so that the public is not confused. Especially for prospective pilgrims who have the right to leave and have waited for two years in a row to confirm their departure.

"We hope that this year the Hajj can be held, considering that it has been two years since we have been able to perform the Hajj due to the COVID-19 pandemic," concluded Maman Imanulhaq.