TEMPO.CO, JAKARTA - The DPR Hajj Monitoring Team assessed that the Ministry of Religious Affairs breached the Hajj working committee’s meeting results by diverting 10,000 additional quota for special Hajj pilgrims.

Responding to the statement, Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas emphasized there was no misuse of the pilgrims quota during the 2024 Hajj operations. "In principle, there is no misuse of additional Hajj quotas," said Yaqut in Medina, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, June 22, 2024, as quoted by Antara.

The 2024 Hajj quota for Indonesia was 221,000 people, consisting of 203,320 regular Hajj and 17,680 special Hajj pilgrims. Indonesia also received an additional 20,000 quota with 10,000 each for the regular Hajj and special Hajj.

According to the minister, the peak of the Hajj pilgrimage went by smoothly. The rituals at Arafat, Muzdalifah, and Mina were organized successfully and there was no repeat of the 2023 overcrowding occurrence in Muzdalifah.

"Thank God, the peak of the Hajj pilgrimage went smoothly, starting from the procession at Arafah, Muzdalifah, to Mina," he said.

Yaqut said this could be attributed to the implementation of the Smartcard Nusuk policy and the murur scheme used in transferring pilgrims from Arafat to Mina. The scheme is applied to elderly pilgrims, pilgrims susceptible to diseases, and disabled pilgrims.

"I believe the keys to this success are these two thighs, Nusuk and Murur," said the minister.

Previously, a member of the DPR Hajj special committee, Ace Hasan Syadzily, said the Ministry of Religious Affairs violated two rulings during Hajj operations. The first violation concerned the House working meeting with the ministry on November 27, 2023, and Presidential Decree No. 6 of 2024 concerning Hajj organizing costs which assumed the number of pilgrims following Law No. 8 of 2019.

Ace said there was no discussion regarding the request for allocation for special Hajj pilgrims from the additional quota of 20,000 pilgrims. According to Ace, special Hajj pilgrims are allotted 8 percent of the total number of pilgrims under the Hajj Law.

"However, in February 2024, the Ministry of Religious Affairs changed its policy regarding the additional quota of 20,000 people unilaterally, dividing it into 10,000 for the special Hajj pilgrims and 10,000 for the regular Hajj pilgrims," said the Deputy Chair of Commission VIII of DPR in a written statement quoted on Sunday, June 23, 2024.

Ace said the change was not discussed with the House of Representatives. “The Ministry of Religious Affairs must revise Presidential Decree No. 6 of 2024 if they want to change the Hajj quota,” he said, adding that revision must be discussed with DPR. "Thus, the Ministry of Religious Affairs cannot make decisions unilaterally."

He said the unilateral decision would impact the use of the budget, the number of officers, and other arrangements that had been agreed upon.

NOVALI PANJI NUGROHO | ANTARA

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