Jakarta. The Indonesian government should negotiate with other countries to utilize their unused Hajj quotas in an effort to shorten the long wait times faced by Indonesian Muslims seeking to perform the pilgrimage, a senior lawmaker said on Friday.

The waiting list for Hajj pilgrims in Indonesia is so extensive that it can take decades for an applicant to receive their turn, said Marwan Dasopang, chairman of the House of Representatives' Commission VIII, which oversees religious and social affairs.

As an example, Marwan highlighted Bantaeng Regency in South Sulawesi, where the waiting period has reached 49 years. He noted that if a Muslim from the regency applies for Hajj at age 50, they would be 99 years old by the time they are finally allowed to perform the pilgrimage.

To address this issue, Marwan suggested that utilizing unused Hajj quotas from other nations should be included in the ongoing amendments to the 2019 Hajj and Umrah Law.

“The law must provide solutions to this problem; otherwise, Muslims in places like Bantaeng will continue to suffer,” Marwan told reporters at the legislative complex in Jakarta.

According to Marwan, several Asian countries such as the Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, still have plenty of unused Hajj quotas.

“Kyrgyzstan once offered us around 7,000 unused quotas. If we incorporate international cooperation into the law, our Hajj authorities will have a legal basis to negotiate with these nations about reallocating their unused quotas,” said Marwan, who is also a member of the National Awakening Party (PKB).

Calls for a Separate Hajj and Umrah Ministry
Marwan also argued that the current Hajj management system requires a major overhaul to adapt to the increasing complexity of pilgrimage administration, which now involves not only the Saudi government but also collaboration with other countries.

He advocated for the establishment of a dedicated ministry for Hajj and Umrah affairs, asserting that the Hajj Management Agency is too small to effectively handle the issue.

Currently, Indonesia sends at least 200,000 Hajj pilgrims to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia each year, along with millions of Umrah pilgrims who can travel at any time.

At present, Hajj management falls under the Directorate General of Hajj and Umrah at the Religious Affairs Ministry. However, given the growing number of applicants and the complexity of the process, Marwan believes a separate ministry would be better equipped to handle the challenge.