Ministry Of Religion Of South Sulawesi Prevents Hoax Hajj Funds To Finance IKN Development, Hajj Fees Are Managed By BPKH In Accordance With SBY's Mandate

Head of the South Sulawesi Regional Winning Regional Office Khaeroni. ANTARA/HO/Ministry of Religion of South Sulawesi

MAKASSAR - Head of the Regional Office (Kanwil) of the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) South Sulawesi Khaeroni warded off misguided information or hoaxes about hajj funds that will be used to finance the construction of the National Capital (IKN) of the Archipelago.

"It's a hoax and misleads the people. The narrative of the Minister of Religion asking for Hajj funds for IKN is slander," Khaeroni said in Makassar as reported by Antara, Monday, May 9.

This confirmation was conveyed after the Ministry of Religion heard and checked directly information from one of the online media with the title Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas asking the public to let the government use the Hajj funds for IKN Nusantara. The Head of the Regional Office of the South Sulawesi Ministry of Religion reacted and confirmed that the information was not true.

According to him, the Minister of Religion has never issued a statement regarding the use of Hajj funds outside of the purposes of organizing the Hajj.

He stated that the use of Hajj funds was not the authority of the Minister of Religion but the authority of the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH).

"Since 2018, the Ministry of Religion is no longer the party responsible for the management of hajj funds," he said.

Khaeroni explained that Law Number 34 of 2014 concerning Hajj Financial Management, which was issued at the end of the reign of President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono, mandated that Hajj funds be managed by the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH).

For this reason, BPKH was formed and gradually the authority to manage hajj funds was handed over to BPKH in accordance with the mandate of Law 34/2014.

On February 13 2018, President Joko Widodo has also signed Government Regulation Number 5 of 2018.

This regulation also regulates the implementation of Law Number 34 of 2014 concerning Hajj Financial Management. Since then, the hajj funds have been fully transferred to BPKH.

"As of February 2018, the Hajj funds, which at that time amounted to Rp. 103 trillion, were all under the authority of BPKH and no longer the Ministry of Religion," he explained.

Based on this information, he also regretted the uploads that had spread to social media and several chat applications where the government in this case the Ministry of Religion was currently trying hard to prepare for the 2022 Hajj pilgrimage.

"Therefore, I appeal to all ranks within the Ministry of Religion of South Sulawesi, especially our extension workers to participate in clarifying this in the community so that it does not cause noise and anxiety," he said.