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Indonesian haj victims feel abandoned by Saudi
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Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims pray outside Namira Mosque in Arafat, during the annual haj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 11, 2016. (AP/Nariman El-Mofty)
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lmost a year and a half after two of the worst disasters in haj history, Saudi Arabia has yet to fulfill its commitment to victims of the tragedies, including Indonesians killed and injured in the collapse of a crane at the AlHaram Grand Mosque in Mecca.
Twelve citizens of Indonesia, the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, were killed and 49 injured when the crane collapsed on Sept. 11, 2015, days before the haj officially started.
The kingdom had pledged to the Indonesian government that it would provide 1 million riyals (US$266,607) in compensation for every dead or permanently disabled victim and 500,000 riyals for the less badly injured, but nothing has been received by the victims as of today.
Zulfitri Zaini, 58, a pilgrim from Solok, West Sumatra, lost her right leg and had her left hand paralyzed in the crane accident.
She also suffered hearing impairment that has prevented her working as a teacher in a junior high school and is now struggling to cover her medical expenses.
Since arriving home on Oct. 2, 2015, she has had to pay all her medical expenses, including using her own savings to pay Rp 28.5 million ($2,146) for a prosthetic limb and Rp 19 million in other expenses that her limited health insurance could not cover.
“I spend most my time in bed now. Sometimes, like once a month, I ask my relatives to take me to school, which is two hours’ away from my house, just to make me feel like I am able to work again,” Zulfitri, who used to teach math told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
“I was praying at the Grand Mosque when the crane smashed into my left hand and right leg. Then I passed out,” Zulfitri said, recalling the painful experience.
She had to undergo two additional operations on her left hand and right leg. “The wound is still fresh even today,” she said.
Tired of waiting, she asked for help from the Padang Legal Aid Institute (LBH), which filed a complaint to the Saudi embassy in Jakarta and the Religious Affairs Ministry on Jan. 13. However, the reports have gone unanswered.
“We called on the Indonesian government to be more proactive urging the Saudi government to pay the promised compensation,” LBH Padang director Era Purnama Sari said.
(Read also: Govt urged to follow up Saudi Arabia's compensation promise for crane victims)
Saudi began renovations to expand Al-Haram in 2013 and cut back the number of pilgrims who could perform the haj every year because of the construction around the mosque.
The year 2015 saw two haj tragedies. After the crane collapse, which claimed the lives of 111 pilgrims from various nations, more than 700 died later in a stampede during the stoning ritual at Mina, located near Mecca.
Along with the compensation, Saudi Arabia also promised that the heirs of dead pilgrims and the 49 injured victims could perform the haj last year. But none of these commitments were realized.
Subandi bin Ahmad Sarbini, a pilgrim from Maros, South Sulawesi, said the falling crane hit his head and left arm.
The officer with the Maros Police said his left hand had been left paralyzed and he was forced to use only one hand. The injuries also affected his nervous system leaving half his face paralyzed.
Although the accident badly affected him physically, he tries to continue working as usual as a police officer in order to support his family.
“Thank God, I was transferred to the office [away from beat duty] at the human resources division. So, my activities now are not as hard as in the past,” said the 51-year-old.
He added that if he eventually received the compensation money, he would use it to go to Mecca again with his wife. “My wife and I want to go to Mecca again,” he said.
Religious Affairs Ministry spokesman Rosidin said the ministry had tried its best to push the Saudi government to pay the compensation but to no avail, adding that the ministry had submitted the data on the victims to the kingdom in 2015.
“The latest response we got from Saudi was that they were still collecting the data on the victims worldwide before it moves to pay compensation simultaneously to all affected countries including Indonesia. The Indonesian government will always encourage the Kingdom to make good on its promise,” Rosidin said.
Saudi Arabia cut the haj quota for Indonesia from 211,000 to 168,800 for safety reasons when it started the expansion of the mosque in 2013.
