Member of Commission VIII DPR Luqman Hakim assesses that the Hajj Travel Fee (Bipih) in 2023 if it is not raised the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) can quickly go bankrupt. Although he admits, it does not have to increase by Rp. 69 million per congregation as proposed by the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag).
Luqman said the increase in the cost of Hajj was due to adjustments to the Saudi Arabian government's policies. In fact, the increase occurred last year. "Given the increase in several components of the pilgrimage costs determined by the Saudi Government through Syarikah-Syarikah, like it or not, there must be an increase in the amount of Hajj costs borne by each congregation," said Luqman.
Luqman said the subsidy sourced from the benefits fund managed by BPKH was too large in 2022, which was around Rp. 60 million per congregation. "Why was the subsidy of 2022 such a large amount? The main factor was that Saudi Arabia raised the cost of Masyair (hajj activities in Arafah, Mina and Muzdalifah) suddenly and the amount was insane. From the previous Rp. 6 million to around Rp. 22.6 million per congregation. So the total cost of Hajj per congregation rose to almost Rp. 99 million," he explained. This increase in costs, said Luqman, was announced by Saudi Arabia about a week before the first batch of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims flew. Therefore, there is no longer an opportunity for the government to make adjustments to the costs of Hajj that must be borne by the congregation. Alias, BPKH must be 'nombok' to cover the cost of pilgrims in 2022. "So, like it or not, finally the use of BPKH managed benefit funds increased drastically so that the 2022 hajj pilgrims could still depart," he said.
"Well, for the departure of the 2023 Hajj and so on, of course, adjustments must be made to the cost of Hajj. One of the goals is to prevent the Hajj funds managed by BPKH from being drained for subsidies for Hajj costs in the next few years," Luqman continued.
Luqman explained that the Hajj funds managed by BPKH came from the initial deposit of prospective pilgrims waiting for the queue to depart. Therefore, the state must ensure that every prospective pilgrim who has provided an initial deposit and the funds managed by BPKH can go for Hajj at a later date. "If there is no increase, it means that there will still be Rp. 39 million in costs borne by the congregation, it is estimated that it will not reach the next 10, BPKH will collapse or go bankrupt," he explained.
Luqman said the figure of Rp. 69 million was the government's proposal which would later be discussed in depth with Commission VIII of the DPR. He ensured that his party would calculate all the important factors considered in deciding the increase in the cost of Hajj in 2023. "God willing, whatever the decision will be, it will definitely be the best for all prospective pilgrims," he said. In the future, said Luqman, gradually every year the congregation's deposit is increased to reach an ideal figure of 70 percent compared to 30 percent between costs borne by pilgrims and (subsidies) the value of benefits from BPKH.
"In my opinion, the increase in the cost of Hajj in 2023 borne by each congregation should not exceed the figure of Rp. 55 million. I feel this is a psychological limit to increasing the cost of Hajj borne by each congregation," added Luqman.
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