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Lawmaker calls for immediate return of RI pilgrims in Philippines
Indonesians detained in the Philippines who attempted to go on the haj using Philippine passports should be returned home immediately because they were victims, a lawmaker has said.
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Consolation: East Java Deputy Governor Saifullah (second left) and Pasuruan Regent Irsyad Yusuf (left) talk to the relative of a pilgrim being detained in the Philippines for using a fake passport, in Pasuruan on Thursday. (Antara/Umarul Faruq)
Indonesians detained in the Philippines who attempted to go on the haj using Philippine passports should be returned home immediately because they were victims, a lawmaker has said.
Lawmaker Dede Yusuf from House of Representatives Commission IX made the comments during a visit to a haj dormitory Sudiang, Makassar, on Friday, along with a number of other lawmakers.
“We are asking for their immediate return to Indonesia,” he said. “If they are continuing to Mecca, who will be responsible for their safety?”
Amriadi, 30, a resident of Wajo in South Sulawesi, hoped his wife Rosdiana, 30, could continue her journey to Mecca. Rosdiana has been detained in the Philippines along with 176 other pilgrims from Indonesia.
“She has been saving for this trip for years. When she got an offer from Aulad Amin Tours, I approved her intention to go on the haj,” Amriadi said on Friday.
He said if the government wanted to bring his wife home, he hoped she could still go on the haj through the Religious Affairs Ministry.
He also demanded that Aulad Amin Tours take responsibility for the cancelation of his wife’s pilgrimage. “If there is no way she can go on the pilgrimage, I want the company to return our money so we can use it to try for another pilgrimage,” Amriadi said. His wife had paid the company Rp 135 million (US$10,227), he said.
Lawmaker Dede criticized the long waiting times for Indonesians to go on the haj. “This is not a healthy practice,” he said.
He expected the government to lobby Saudi Arabia for a higher haj quota. (evi)
