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Saudi Arabia won’t increase Indonesia's haj quota in 2016
The Saudi Arabian government has refused to increase Indonesia’s haj quota this year, keeping the number at 168,800 pilgrims, despite an earlier approval from Saudi authorities to raise the quota by up to 10,000 seats.
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A group of pilgrims from Surabaya and Magetan in East Java board a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight to Madinah in Saudi Arabia from Juanda International Airport, Surabaya. ( JP/ Wahyoe Boedhiwardhana)
T
he Saudi Arabian government has refused to increase Indonesia’s haj quota this year, keeping the number at 168,800 pilgrims, despite an earlier approval from Saudi authorities to raise the quota by up to 10,000 seats.
The Saudi government decided to grant all countries the same haj quota this year, as seen in the 2016 memorandum of understanding (MoU) on haj, explained Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin.
According to Lukman, Indonesia discussed its proposal with the Saudi government further and the latter said that it will seriously consider the possibility of adding more seats for Indonesian pilgrims for the coming year.
"When the time comes, the Saudi government will inform us about its decision," Lukman told journalists on Wednesday.
When President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo met with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during a Middle East tour in September 2015, the Saudi government gave the green light to Jokowi’s proposal for an Indonesian haj quota increase.
An increase to Indonesia’s haj quota is seen as important as, not only does Indonesia represent the largest number of pilgrims during haj season, the nation had its annual quota cut by 20 percent since 2013, down from 211,000 to the current 168,800 seats. Under current conditions, Indonesian Muslims living in certain regions are required to wait for more than 20 years before a seat becomes available.
The Saudi government decided to cut the quota due to the massive renovation and expansion of the Masjidil Haram grand mosque, a move which led to a wait list backlog of two million people.
The ongoing renovation of Mecca's Grand Mosque was not intended to accommodate more pilgrims, but to improve convenience during pilgrimage season, Lukman said.
"The Saudi government does not wish to increase haj quotas because the pilgrimage is already overcrowded," Lukman said.
During the six day work visit to Saudi, Lukman said that the Indonesian government also expressed the importance of improving the facilities in Arafah field and Mina for the sake of pilgrim convenience during rituals.
For example, the quality of tents at the Arafah camp should be improved with the use of stronger steel and by making them wind and fire-proof.
In addition, Indonesia has suggested that Saudi government start to develop a large, permanent power plant in order to increase the electricity supply available for the two million of pilgrims during the annual haj season, Lukman said.
Lukman said Indonesia urged the Saudi government to focus and not to further suspend the improvement of camp facilities at Mina and Arafah. "There are no alternatives for the pilgrims. They are confined inside the tents for two or three days," Lukman added. (bbn)
