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Bekasi resident complains of illegal levies during haj registration
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Muslim pilgrims touch the golden door of the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 3, 2016. (AP/Amr Nabil)
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West Java resident who wanted to register for the haj is accusing Bekasi's Religious Affairs Office of allowing the charging of illegal levies to grow rampant.
Edy S, a resident of Jejalen Jaya, North Tambun in Bekasi regency, said that to get haj application forms (SPPH) would-be pilgrims were being asked to pay between Rp 150,000 (US$11.25) and Rp 200,000, although the fees were not part of the official requirements.
“I almost fell victim to the extortion of an official in the office while registering for the regular haj. My wife was asked to pay Rp 150,000 per SPPH,” he said as quoted by Antara news agency on Tuesday, adding that he also witnessed the official asking other people to pay up to Rp 200,000 for the form.
Noer Alya Fitra, an official from the Religious Affairs Ministry overseeing the haj registration, confirmed that the form was free.
“After the registration has been validated in a sharia bank, the would-be pilgrim only needs to prepare Rp 25 million to earn a seat. Apart from that, they should not pay for any other expenses,” Noer said.
Noer said that he would follow up on the report to avoid similar occurrences in the future. (fac)
