Jakarta. The idea of having a Hajj ministry has been a topic of debate in Indonesia over the past weeks, with some agreeing to its establishment, while a number of government officials say that there is nothing wrong with the current system.

Almost every year, Indonesia sends hundreds of thousands of Muslims to perform Hajj in the holy city of Mecca. In 2024, Indonesia is sending 241,000 Hajj pilgrims -- the largest Hajj deployment throughout the country's history. Indonesia's Hajj quota is way bigger compared to other countries, including Pakistan (179,210 pilgrims), India (140,020 pilgrims), and Bangladesh (127,298 pilgrims). Indonesia's quota is also almost threefold of that of Iran, which almost reached 87,000.

Its size has made the annual religious ritual a major government affair in Muslim-majority Indonesia.

However, Indonesia's Hajj management is still marred with problems, with issues ranging from decades-long waiting lists to illegal visas, to name a few.

According to the Religious Affairs Ministry, pilgrims from South Kalimantan can wait up to 38 years to be able to perform Hajj. North Sulawesi people get the shortest waiting time, but still, they can be in the queue for up to 16 years.

Many Indonesian pilgrims also fly for Hajj illegally. In 2022, 46 pilgrims --who flew to Mecca without having to queue-- had to face deportation because their travel agency was not registered with the Religious Affairs Ministry.

This June, the Saudi authorities had to detain 37 Indonesian pilgrims because they were using non-visa Hajj and fraudulent documents. As many as 203 pilgrims from South Sulawesi's Sidrap were denied entry for not having the required Hajj visa.

This string of problems laid the background for the discourse on whether Indonesia needed a ministry dedicated to dealing with Hajj matters. Saudi Arabia already has one. The country is home to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah -- separate from the Islamic Affairs Ministry. The latter is the Saudi equivalent to Indonesia's Religious Affairs Ministry.

To this day, the Religious Affairs Ministry is in charge of managing the Indonesian Hajj pilgrimage.

Earlier this month, House of Representatives lawmaker Said Abdullah said "Ideally, the Religious Affairs Ministry is a single body, and we should have a separate Hajj ministry."

Ashabul Kahfi, a House lawmaker who leads Commission VII, agreed with the proposal, stating that the Religious Affairs Ministry already carries too much burden. The ministry not only takes care of Hajj management, but they also deal with religious education, including Islamic boarding schools. "Not to mention that the number of Indonesian pilgrims going on Hajj keeps on increasing every year," Kahfi told Beritasatu.com, not long ago.

What The Government Said and Dualism Allegations

Warsito, a deputy at the Coordinating Ministry for Cultural Affairs, said that a standalone Hajj ministry was not urgent. He also denied that the Religious Affairs Ministry was the only one who held the burden. Warsito said that the transportation, foreign affairs, and health ministries were also dealing with Hajj matters. He added: “The same goes for the Legal Affairs Ministry and the Hajj Fund Management Agency [BPKH].”

Warsito also denied Kahfi’s claims that there was “dualism” in Hajj management due to the existence of BPKH alongside the Religious Affairs Ministry. According to Warsito, both parties are supporting one another by splitting the tasks. The Religious Affairs Ministry is in charge of the policymaking and the practical aspects, including the accommodation, catering, and Hajj fees with the House’s approval. BPKH is responsible for managing the Hajj funds in an “independent and professional manner.”

Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin, an expert at the Presidential Staff Office, said that the existing system was already ideal. 

“The Religious Affairs Ministry does not work alone, but they are also working together with other ministries and bodies. And I don’t think there is any problem with the current system. Even if there are, they may be small problems,” Siti said.

Hajj Fund Management

Ashabul Kahfi found that a Hajj ministry was necessary to manage the funds. BPKH is currently in charge of the Hajj pilgrimage funds, which total a whopping Rp 160 trillion (around $9.8 billion). According to Kahfi, this money can go into, among others, building a hotel dedicated to the Indonesian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia as the ministry oftentimes struggles to look for accommodation when the Hajj season comes. He added: “If managed well, having our own facilities is set to boost the quality of the Hajj services that we provide to our people.”

Mustolih Siradj, the head of the Hajj and Umrah Commission, also called for a dedicated Hajj ministry, saying that BPKH currently struggles to coordinate its Hajj management. The idea also gained support from the Association of Indonesia Haj and Umrah Organizers (Amphuri) as long as it focuses on helping the people. 

BPKH member Acep R Jayaprawira admitted that his agency did come across some obstacles in fund management. According to Acep, there is a major gap between the Hajj pilgrimage costs and how much the pilgrims pay. Indonesia has been taking care of this gap by paying a part of the Hajj costs with the returns of BPKH’s managed funds. Acep said: “If we let this be, we will run out of the returns before everyone in the queue can depart for Hajj.” 

This year’s Hajj adopts a 60:40 ratio in its payments, meaning that the pilgrims pay 60 percent of the costs, while BPKH takes care of the remaining 40 percent. Acep said he hoped he could change this ratio to 70:30. “If the pilgrims pay less [than 70 percent], I doubt the returns [from the BPKH managed funds] will never be enough,” Acep said.

Just An Agency, Not A Separate Ministry

Expert Djohermansyah Djohar suggested that Indonesia could just establish an agency dedicated to handling Hajj and have it under the religious affairs minister. According to Djohar, the ministry today has a directorate-general specializing in Hajj and Umrah. But it would be more effective if the government changed this directorate-general to a separate Hajj body with its employees coming from the BPKH. Indonesia has had a number of bodies working in a similar fashion. As a case in point, the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) is part of the ministry of the same name. National Development Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa heads the Bappenas.

“A directorate-general structure is inflexible. Having an agency will make it more flexible, and shall be able to respond to what the pilgrims need. We need an out-of-the-box format. The existing format cannot deal with the Hajj problems, and I think creating a standalone ministry is quite costly,” Djohar said.

What’s Prabowo-Gibran’s Plans?

President-elect Prabowo Subianto will assume power this October, and his campaign manifesto shows that better Hajj management is included in his plans. Prabowo --along with Vice President-Elect Gibran Rakabumin Raka-- have vowed to make sure that Indonesian pilgrims can go on quality Hajj. To this end, they plan on establishing what they call a “Hajj savings agency” that seeks to give the most benefits to the people. 

Lawmaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, who also heads the Prabowo-Gibran synchronization team, said that they would need further assessments on if a standalone Hajj ministry was urgent. He also refused to give more comments on the idea.

Political analyst Ujang Komarudin called for the Prabowo-Gibran government to actually establish this ministry, saying that it is necessary for a more professional and effective Hajj management. The incoming government also appears to not have any obstacles if they wish to set up this ministry. 

“By establishing a Hajj ministry, we can see whether this is a great breakthrough or it is something that we need to criticize together. Hajj is something that we need to take seriously,” Ujang said.

__

B-Universe journalists Celvin Sipahutar, Hendro Situmorang, Jayanty Nada Shofa, Juan Ardya Guardiola, Mita Amallia Hapsari, and Teguh Adi Prasetyo contributed to this story.