Additional Hajj Quota Of 10 Thousand Pilgrims For Indonesia From Saudi Is Expected To Be Used By 2023

Illustration of the pilgrimage. (Antaranews)

JAKARTA - The government hopes that the additional hajj quota from the Saudi Arabian government which cannot be used for the 2022 hajj pilgrimage can be used during the 2023 hajj season.

The government of Saudi Arabia provided an additional hajj quota for 10,000 people to the Indonesian government during the 2022 hajj pilgrimage, but the addition could not be utilized because the government had not had enough time to process the use of the additional quota.

"Hopefully we can use this additional quota in the upcoming hajj season, even if we can add more. However, it must be ensured from the start so that there is enough time to prepare," said Director General of Hajj and Umrah at the Ministry of Religion Hilman Latief as quoted in a written statement. ministry received in Jakarta, Wednesday 29 June.

Hilman stated that the Indonesian government in 2019 received an additional hajj quota for 10 thousand people and had enough time to take advantage of the additional quota because the certainty of the additional quota had been obtained in April 2019 and the departure of pilgrims to the Holy Land had only begun on July 5, 2019.

"At that time, there was still enough time to process it," he said, according to Antara.

During the 2022 hajj pilgrimage, the Indonesian government just received a notification letter from the Saudi Arabian government regarding the addition of the hajj quota on June 21, 2022.

In fact, Hilman said, the deadline for processing visas for regular pilgrims is June 29, 2022 and the last flight for pilgrims to the Holy Land is scheduled for July 3, 2022.

"This means that there are only five days available per day. This is certainly not enough time to process the additional quota. Even if it is withdrawn from the beginning of receiving the official letter on June 22, 2022, there will only be about 10 days. That is certainly not enough," he said. .

"They (Saudi Arabia) understand the conditions and systems that apply in Indonesia. They understand the provisions on portions, serial numbers, and others. Based on regulations, Hajj must indeed be carried out according to applicable rules," he said.