Amphuri admits there is an additional 10,000 for special Hajj, follow government directions

JAKARTA – The Muslim Association of Hajj and Umrah Organizers of the Republic of Indonesia (Amphuri) confirmed that there was an additional quota of 10,000 for the special Hajj in 2024. This number was obtained from additional Hajj quota given by the Saudi Arabian government was 20,000.

For your information, the increase in the number of quotas for special Hajj pilgrims has recently become a note from the DPR Monitoring Team (Timwas). Timwas assesses that the government, in this case the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag), has violated the regulations regarding the addition of the special Hajj quota which has the impact of reducing the regular Hajj quota in 2024.

“That’s right, that’s right, 10,000 for the special Hajj, another 10,000 for the regular Hajj,” said DPP Secretary General Amphuri Farid Aljawi in the MNC Trijaya Network Polemic discussion entitled ‘Later, We’ll Tell You About Today’s Hajj’ which was held online, Saturday (22/6/2024 ).

Farid said that an additional quota for special Hajj of 10,000 had been stated in Ta’limatul Hajj. In fact, these instructions have also been included in the e-Hajj system.

He admitted that he did not know whether the distribution of additional quota allocations given by the Saudi Arabian government had been agreed upon between the government and the DPR. As a partner, he only follows directions from the government.

“Yes, we follow the government’s directions, because our route comes from the Ministry of Religion, when the Ministry of Religion makes an official announcement to all of us, and we all absorb it according to the provisions,” he said.

On the other hand, Farid asked that the additional Hajj quota for 2024 should not be debated. According to him, the most important thing is how the additional quota provided can be absorbed optimally. “I don’t think this needs to be debated, because what? The important thing is that this quota is maximally absorbed,” he said.

Previously, Member of the DPR Hajj Monitoring Team (Timwas) Wisnu Wijaya suspected that there had been a violation of regulations by the Ministry of Religion regarding the addition of the special Hajj quota which had an impact on reducing the regular Hajj quota in 2024. Initially, at a Panja (Working Committee) meeting regarding the determination of BPIH 1445H on November 27 2023 , it was agreed that Indonesia’s Hajj quota was 241,000 pilgrims, with details of 221,720 for the regular Hajj and 19,280 for the special Hajj.

However, in the DPR Commission VIII Hearing Meeting (RDP) with the Director General of Hajj and Umrah Organization of the Ministry of Religion on May 20 2024, it was revealed that the Ministry of Religion had changed the quota. The regular Hajj quota was cut by 8,400 to 213,320, while the special Hajj quota was increased to 27,680.

Vishnu questioned the basis for this change considering that the MoU with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia which was signed in January 2024 allegedly contained provisions that were not in accordance with the BPIH Panja agreement and Law Number 8 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of Hajj and Umrah.

Article 64 Paragraph (2) of the Law states that the special hajj quota is only 8% of Indonesia’s total hajj quota. This means that with a total quota of 241,000, the special Hajj quota should only be 19,280, not 27,680. “The Ministry of Religion’s actions are offside and indicate a violation of the rules,” said Wisnu, Tuesday (18/6/2024).

(abd)