800 Prospective Hajj Pilgrims From Bengkulu Expected To Depart This Year

BENGKULU - The Bengkulu Province Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) Office estimates that as many as 800 prospective pilgrims from Bengkulu Province will leave for Saudi Arabia this year.

Head of the Hajj and Umrah Organization (PHU) of the Bengkulu Province Ministry of Religion, Intihan in Bengkulu, Monday, April 18, said that the quota was his estimate because the Government of Saudi Arabia only provided a quota of 1 million pilgrims to carry out the pilgrimage this year.

"The provisional prediction for Indonesian pilgrims will likely be given a quota of pilgrims below 50 percent of the total congregation that should have departed," said Inihan, quoted by Antara.

This is because the total number of prospective pilgrims who have been delayed since 2020 has reached 1,636 people, so if only 50 percent of the pilgrims leave, this year 800 people will go to Saudi Arabia.

However, for the certainty of the amount of quota that will be given to Indonesia, until now his party is still waiting for a decision from the Government of Saudi Arabia.

At this year's Hajj departure, in accordance with the requirements of the Saudi Arabian Government, pilgrims over the age of 65 are not allowed to depart.

"These conditions are enough to make it difficult for the government, because the average person who wants to perform the pilgrimage is an old person," he said.

In addition, regarding the financing of Hajj departures in accordance with the decision of the Ministry of Religion and the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) of IDR 39 million.

However, prospective pilgrims who will depart this year only need to pay IDR 31.4 million because the government covers the funds using utilization funds.