TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated on Sunday, October 22, 2023, that the additional 20,000 Hajj quota from the Saudi Arabian government for the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage will cut the waiting time of would-be pilgrims by two years.

In his remarks at the 2023 Santri Day event in Surabaya, East Java, Jokowi revealed the results of his bilateral meeting with the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud, in Riyadh, on Friday, October 20, 2023.

"I conveyed to His Royal Highness that currently in Indonesia, if people want to perform Hajj, they have to wait for 47 years," he said during the event, which was broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel.

He mentioned that the crown prince was surprised when he learned that the waiting time for the prospective Hajj pilgrims in Indonesia could reach 47 years.

During the meeting, Jokowi requested an additional Hajj quota, considering that Indonesia's population has reached 278 million people.

The prime minister then granted Indonesia an additional quota of 20,000 for next year's Hajj pilgrimage.

"This is a very large number. Thus, those who wait 47 years (the waiting time) can be brought forward to 45 years. Yes, it is still a long time, but at least it is brought forward," Jokowi said.

It was earlier reported that Indonesia's pilgrim quota for the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage was capped at 221 thousand people, while the quota for Hajj officers was set at 2,200.

The Indonesian government has started to prepare for the 2024 Hajj services, including preparing qualified Hajj officers.

ANTARA

Editor's Choice: Indonesia Secures Additional Hajj Quota of 20,000 for 2024

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News