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View all search resultsHouse, govt agree to establish haj ministry
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Haj pilgrims walk to the departure terminal at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on May 1, 2025, ahead of their flights to Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Airport in Medina, Saudi Arabia. (Antara/Muhammad Iqbal)
T
he House of Representatives and the government have agreed to elevate the Haj Organizing Agency (BP Haji) into a full ministry and introduce broader changes in the management of the annual pilgrimage, as part of ongoing deliberations to revise the 2019 Haj Law.
Lawmakers from Commission VIII overseeing religious affairs began discussing the changes with the government, represented by First Deputy State Secretary Bambang Eko Suharyanto, on Friday and agreed that same day on a proposal to allow the agency to take over the haj management from the Religious Affairs Ministry.
BP Haji was established by President Prabowo Subianto last year, as part of transitioning the haj management away from the Religious Affairs Ministry following years of consistent complaints from pilgrims about poor administration.
“We have started referring to [BP Haji] as a ministry in the draft bill. There are no more debates about this,” Commission VIII chair Marwan Dasopang of the National Awakening Party (PKB) told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Since the Friday meeting with the government, lawmakers continued with back-to-back meetings behind closed doors over the weekend and as of Sunday night, were working to finalize the draft, according to Marwan.
“If we can complete the final draft tonight, we plan to seek approval from the commission on Monday to bring it to a vote at an upcoming House plenary session on Tuesday,” Marwan said.
Read also: Haj season concludes as law revision moves ahead
