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House wants to establish new haj agency
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Muslim pilgrims prepare themselves for Friday prayers in front of the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 9. (AP/Nariman El-Mofty)
H
ouse of Representatives Commission VIII overseeing religious affairs is determined to establish the Indonesian Haj Organization Agency (BPHI), which will takeover management of the haj from the Religious Affairs Ministry.
Disagreements over the plan have been expressed by Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, who expressed concerns related to overlapping authority if haj management was taken away from the control of the government.
House Commission VIII deputy chairman Sodik Mudjahid said a separation of authority needed to be instituted between the executor, who manages the haj, and the regulator, who holds responsibility for policies related to the haj. These two roles have traditionally fallen under the purview of the Religious Affairs Ministry.
"After decades of organizing the haj, it seems that the work ethic and culture [at the Religious Affairs Ministry] needs to be improved and separation of authority will create that [improvement]," Sodik told the journalists on Monday.
The separation, he continued, would provide more room for the ministry to maximize its diplomatic function when issues related to the haj arose. Meanwhile, the BPHI as executor could assist the ministry in handling technical matters, he added.
Even though the government and House Commission VIII have yet to reach an agreement on the establishment of the BPHI, both parties have agreed to deliberate on the 2008 Haj Law. (ags)
