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Govt opposes House proposal to form independent haj agency
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Muslim pilgrims arrive to circle the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 8. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
T
he government has opposed a House of Representatives proposal to form an independent body to organize the haj, arguing that it is the government's responsibility through the Religious Affairs Ministry.
Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said the establishment of an Indonesian haj organization agency (BPHI), to be included in the revision of the 2008 Haj Management Law, would undermine the country’s history of organizing the haj.
"Rather than improving the quality of our haj pilgrimage management, forming an independent body could lead to other problems, since organizing the haj is very complex," he told journalists on Monday in Jakarta.
Not only it was related to domestic issues, such as rising demand and long waiting lists, it was also complex as it involving dealing with the Saudi Arabia government, Lukman said.
He further expressed concern about such an agency’s authority, saying it could overlap and result in a dispute over power with others involved in managing the haj.
Establishing an agency would also be costly as the government would have to establish representative branches down to the district level, Lukman said, adding that it also contradicted the government's push for efficiency at all levels. (ags)
