Hajj Candidates 65 Years Old And Over Become Priority Departing To The Holy Land In 2023

Illustration of the pilgrimage in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Antaranews)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the House of Representatives Commission VIII Yandri Susanto emphasized that the DPR and the government agreed to prioritize the departure of elderly pilgrims (elderly) in the pilgrimage in 2023. In particular, Hajj candidates who failed to leave this year were constrained by the age limit of 65 years.

Yandri said that the priority of hajj departures for the elderly would be implemented, but on the condition that there were no rules for limiting the age of pilgrims from Saudi Arabia in 2023.

"God willing, next year there will be no age limit, so the DPR and the government agree on the priority for the elderly," said Yandri during an online working meeting with the Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Thursday, June 2, 2022.

In this year's hajj, Indonesia will get a quota of one-tenth of the total number of hajj candidates in 2022. Saudi Arabia provides Indonesia's hajj quota of 100,051 people. This quota consists of 92,825 regular hajj and 7,226 special hajj.

Among the conditions set by Saudi Arabia, Antara reported, one of the prospective pilgrims who may go to the Holy Land is those with a maximum age of 65 years.

According to Yandri, the decision was issued by Saudi Arabia while the Indonesian government only complied with applicable regulations. But in society, he said, there are still misconceptions about the age limit.

"I attended the event yesterday afternoon, someone asked, the Minister has limited the age of 65 years. His mother has waited for decades and paid off, but because Gus Yaqut (Minister of Religion) failed to leave," he said.

Therefore, he encouraged the Ministry of Religion to be more active in socializing in detail to the public.

The Ministry of Religion must also improve communication so as not to cause misunderstandings. This is because the age restriction is still temporary due to the COVID-19 pandemic and does not come from the policies of the Indonesian government.

"So there is still missing information and it is fried in an extraordinary way. Therefore, socialization in the field of Hajj and education needs to be improved," he said.