A Number Of Notes From Commission VIII Of The DPR Regarding The 2022 Hajj

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission VIII of the House of Representatives Ace Hasan Syadzily gave notes regarding the implementation of the Hajj pilgrimage in 2022. He said, there were still shortcomings felt by Indonesian pilgrims.

"In organizing the hajj which was held after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, we noted that there were still shortcomings felt by the congregation," said Ace Hasan in Jakarta, Wednesday, July 13.

The first note, according to him, is that Armuzna's service is still not as promised, because the cost which in previous years was in the range of 1,500 SAR, this year has increased to 5,500 SAR.

For Ace, this is not comparable to the service felt by the congregation. Congregation services are the same as in previous years.

Secondly, according to him, the distance between the tent in Mina and the congregation is still up to seven kilometers, which drains the congregation's stamina.

"Supposedly with a limited capacity, the placement of pilgrims can be given at a closer distance, unlike the previous hajj conditions. Many pilgrims are dehydrated and tired," he said.

He explained, the third note, in terms of health, several health care places were found that there were still congregational medical records that had not been updated so that the service of health workers in serving pilgrims was still using medical records in 2020.

According to him, this affects the health services of the congregation, but in general the health services are good, although the procurement of drugs must be increased in accordance with diseases that are generally felt by the congregation, such as coughs, colds and shortness of breath.

"Fourth, it is necessary to improve the service for the Hajj rituals for the congregation. Many pilgrims who are not members of the Hajj pilgrimage group (KBIH) do not have sufficient knowledge in carrying out the rituals. This needs to be facilitated by the Ministry of Religion," he said.

Ace said technical issues, such as pilgrims' suitcases provided by airlines, which were quickly torn and damaged, needed the attention of the authorities.

He also assessed that other problems that must be resolved, among others, are related to the Haji Furoda dispute, although the authority of the Saudi Arabian government is related to Indonesian pilgrims.

Therefore, according to him, it must be ensured that no prospective Indonesian Hajj pilgrims will be harmed due to the Furoda Hajj visa levy without certainty of departure.

"In addition, there is a need for a minimum service standard that is applied to special Hajj organizers or ONH plus. The results of our supervision, one party to another are different, some have very good service, some are completely far from service standards," he said.

He hoped that the preparation for the implementation of the Hajj should be done better with a longer period of time.

According to him, the Indonesian government, in this case the Ministry of Religion, must immediately discuss with Saudi Arabia to ensure the number of quotas, explore accommodation contracts and early consumption and others.

On the other hand, he considered that the implementation of the Hajj pilgrimage in 2022 had generally gone smoothly, because Indonesia had sent a large number of pilgrims and was the largest Muslim country in the world that sent pilgrims.

According to him, in general, the aspects of the congregation's lodging service, the consumption of the congregation while in Mecca, Arafah, Mina, Mudzdalifah (Armuzna) and Medina are well provided, transportation, proceeds according to stages.

Ace said the House of Representatives' Commission VIII will hold a Working Meeting with the Ministry of Religion to evaluate the overall implementation of the Hajj in 2022, after all Indonesian pilgrims return from the holy land.