Govt Urged to Be Proactive in Ascertaining 2020 Hajj Pilgrimage
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19 May 2020 22:56 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The House of Representatives (DPR) urged the Minister of Religious Affairs, Fachrul Razi, to proactively communicate with Saudi Arabia on the certainty of the 2020 hajj pilgrimage.
“What we expect from the Religious Affairs Minister is to actually have a proactive attitude by communicating directly with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," DPR Deputy Chief of Commission VIII, Ace Hasan Syadzily, told reporters on Tuesday, May 19, 2020.
The Minister, continued Ace, had previously committed to deciding on the hajj pilgrimage by Wednesday, May 20, 2020. However, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia having yet to provide any information, this year’s hajj pilgrimage remains uncertain.
According to Ace, the feasibility of this year’s hajj needs to be decided urgently. If the pilgrimages are to commence, the government would then need as much time as possible to prepare for the safety and health of prospective pilgrims, so as to prevent COVID-19 transmission; especially for prospective pilgrims above 50 years of age.
"Indonesia is the largest Muslim country to send prospective pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. Adequate preparations are needed," said the Golkar politician.
As such, he revealed that the House's Commission VIII will soon call for a meeting with Minister Fachrul Razi to discuss the possibility of not sending pilgrims this year.
In addition, Ace has also warned the Minister of Religious Affairs to not rush any decision before holding the meeting with the House of Representatives and receiving an official statement from Saudi Arabia.
Previously, Fachrul Razi had called for would-be hajj pilgrims to patiently wait for the government’s plan on this year’s hajj pilgrimage as Saudi Arabia was expected to announce its final decision in June.
“As the President said after a discussion with King Salman, the decision will hopefully be made by June 1. So, let’s just wait for the president’s instruction,” said Fachrul via a teleconference on Tuesday, May 19.
BUDIARTI UTAMI PUTRI | DEWI NURITA | Translator: DIO SUHENDA (Intern)
