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Ministry to set up independent body for haj fund
The Religious Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday that the government would set up an independent agency to manage the Rp 70 trillion (US$38billion) haj fund, a move aimed at stopping officials at the ministry embezzling the funds
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he Religious Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday that the government would set up an independent agency to manage the Rp 70 trillion (US$38billion) haj fund, a move aimed at stopping officials at the ministry embezzling the funds.
A number of ministry officials and former ministers have been named graft suspects for abusing the fund, including United Development Party (PPP) chairman Suryadharma Ali, who was forced to give up his ministerial post after being named a graft suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for allegedly misusing the fund.
Religious Affairs Ministry inspector general M. Jasin said that as soon as the House of Representatives approved the ministry's proposal to amend laws on the haj fund management, the first priority would be the establishment of the agency, which would be named the Haj Fund Management Agency (BPKH).
'The BPKH will be directly responsible to the President through the religious affairs minister. The ministry and the House of Representatives are currently finalizing the concept of the agency. Technically, everything has been agreed upon, we're just waiting for the bill to be endorsed by the House,' Jasin told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
The fund keeps increasing in amount as the quota set by the Saudi Arabian government prevents every would-be pilgrim from traveling to the holy land. Each pilgrim is required to pay Rp 25 million to be put on the waiting list. Currently, about 2 million names are on the list.
Jasin said the agency would also manage the Rp 44 trillion Public Trust Fund (DAU) as well as other assets bought using the money from pilgrims, adding that each potential pilgrim would have their own bank account managed by the agency that would allow them to track the annual gain from their money.
'In the long run, we will make sure that the investment by would-be pilgrims is used to build haj facilities in Jeddah, Medina and Mecca so that we won't have to rent hotels to house pilgrim in the future. It is also possible that we will buy our own aircraft for pilgrims,' Jasin said.
- Government to set up independent body to manage haj fund
- No officials from the Religious Affairs Ministry will work for the agency
- Ministry now controls Rp 70 trillion in haj fund
To keep the planned agency independent, Jasin said it would not employ any officials from the Religious Affairs Ministry.
'The government will hold an open selection to find professionals to run the BPKH. We will make sure that officials of the agency have strong integrity and clean track records,' Jasin said.
'The BPKH will be supervised by an internal auditor and the Supreme Audit Agency [BPK] as part of external oversight,' Jasin said.
Only days after naming Suryadharma a graft suspect in June, the KPK recommended that the ministry stop operating the haj program and instead switch its focus on drafting regulations.
The KPK issued the recommendation after meeting with the new religious affairs minister, United Development Party (PPP) politician Lukman Hakim Saifuddin.
KPK deputy chairman Busyro Muqoddas said the ministry must uphold transparency when managing the haj quota, adding that places left vacant by death or illness must be given to other pilgrims who had been waiting for years, not Religious Affairs Ministry officials.
'The haj quota should be returned to pilgrims, not given to those who are not supposed to receive it,' Busyro said.
Suryadharma has been charged with corruption for allegedly using the haj quota to fly dozens of falsely registered Indonesian Haj Organizing Committee (PPHI) representatives ' reportedly his relatives, colleagues from the ministry and members of the House of Representatives ' to Saudi Arabia to join him on the haj.
