TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The graft in the management of hajj pilgrimage has raised a question: is the Religious Affairs Ministry still able to organize the annual hajj pilgrimage program? With the rotation of funds estimated to reach 60,000 trillion, this holy trip has become a huge business.
This business involves inviting other businesses as well, such as the provision of hotels, insurance and catering services for the pilgrims.
It is at this point, the Religious Affairs Minister was trapped. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) accused him of his implication in the irregularities in deciding companies that provide things needed by the pilgrims.
On Thursday, he was named as suspect in the hajj fund graft case.
Suryhadarma allegedly played a crucial role in determining catering services and hotels for the pilgrims. He was also accused of abusing his authority as the Minister.
Then, we were left flabbergasted: business that involves the money of the pilgrims was also not spared by those corruptors.
For the record, ever since the government of Arab Saudi applied the quota system for every country, the hajj pilgrimage has become a 'rarity'.
The number of available quota is not commensurate with the number of people registered for the pilgrimage, especially in Indonesia, home to the biggest Moslem population in the world.
The pilgrims, as the "consumers", are then left in a weak position. They have to wait for years before departing to Mecca.
In 2010, at least 1.1 million people had been in the waiting list. This year, the number doubles.
With the quota that Indonesia receives, someone who intends to go to hajj pilgrimage has to wait for years before departing to Mecca. However, he has to deposit a fund of Rp25,000,000 to the Ministry of Religious Affairs as down payment. The money has accumulated into more than Rp60 trillion this year.
The huge amount of money has reportedly been embezzled.
Four years ago, Tempo magazine found the alleged illegal use of hajj fund certificate of deposit.
A number of officials at the Religious Affairs Ministry were also allegedly implicated in the rotation of those certificates for personal gains.
And today, the KPK has found more concrete irregularities in the implementation of the hajj program.
It is imperative that the hajj management be done by other independent institutions outside the bureaucratic system.
The Religious Affairs should only serve as a regulator, such as regulating criteria required for travel agents that want to take part in the hajj pilgrimage management.
Technical matters such as transportation, accommodation, food, and other financial matters should be managed by a special institution.
The independent institution must manage hajj funds transparently.
For example, concerning the preliminary hajj fee that has to de deposited.
So far, the pilgrims have lost their rights to get interests from the fund that has been deposited because the funds go to the bank account of the Religious Affairs Ministry.
If only the fund went to the pilgrims' own bank account, the interests may add up for years and the interest can reduce the fee for hall pilgrimage.
The government should have prevented the Religious Affairs Ministry from becoming too involved in the hajj business, especially in taking material advantages and money from the pilgrims.
Hajj management should have been done in a clean and free way. And free of grafts.
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