Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi found himself in hot water during a hearing with the House of Representatives on Thursday, as lawmakers on Commission VIII overseeing religious affairs criticized him for not consulting with the House before deciding to cancel the 2020 haj over coronavirus concerns.

The minister announced earlier this month that Indonesia would prevent haj departures to Saudi Arabia this year, a decision that affected hundreds of thousands of would-be pilgrims in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation. Indonesia has the largest haj pilgrim quota of any country.

John Kennedy Azis of the Golkar Party – a political party in President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's ruling coalition – questioned Fachrul's sudden announcement of the policy on June 2, saying there had been no pressure for the central government to announce it immediately without consulting the legislative body.

"There was no external pressure that we would be fined if we didn’t decide [on haj departures] quickly. Why couldn't you wait for just two days? Why so sudden?" John said, referring to a planned House hearing with the government on the matter scheduled for June 4.

The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with Saudi Arabia's indefinite suspension of haj and umrah (minor haj), were cited as reasons behind the government's decision to cancel this year's haj departure. Fachrul previously said the conditions had left the government without enough time to prepare visas and protective measures.

Indonesia initially planned to send about 221,000 people on the annual pilgrimage, and nearly 180,000 people had already paid for the journey, Religious Affairs Ministry data shows. The government said the pilgrims would be placed on next year's haj.

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