Dessy Sagita – The Indonesian Hajj Brotherhood Association on Thursday criticized Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali for undertaking his pilgrimage to Mecca with a large entourage despite the fact that the waiting list in Indonesia to go on the journey is extremely long.
"This hurts the feelings of people who have been waiting for years to go on the hajj. Why wasn't the opportunity given to the elderly instead?" Kurdi Mustofa, the chairman of the association, also known as the IKHI, said.
He said that as the world's largest predominantly Muslim nation, Indonesia had only around 200,000 slots available each year for hajj pilgrims to go to Saudi Arabia, and added that some pilgrims had to wait between 10 and 15 years to be able to finally perform the hajj, the fifth essential pillar of Islam.
Kurdi called Suryadharma unwise and insensitive. "How can the government ask would-be pilgrims to be patient and wait for years while the religious affairs minister takes 35 people, including his wife, children, brothers, sisters and others. They even stay in luxurious hotels," Kurdin said.
He contrasted Suryadharma with one of his predecessors, Maftuh Basyuni, who in 2008 went on the hajj while still the religious affairs minister. "[Maftuh] went alone, not with his wife or his in-laws. He also did not stay in hotels," Kurdi said.
Suryadharma, as a public official, was obligated to provide an explanation of the funds needed by him and his retinue to go to Saudi Arabia.
Islam requires those who are able and can afford it to make the hajj pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. The Indonesian government organizes an all-inclusive hajj package every year that covers flights, accommodations, meals and transportation.
Kurdi also said that the IKHI was calling on the government to punish rogue travel agents that fail to deliver on hajj trips that they offer.
"The Religious Affairs Ministry must collect its data again and take firm action against travel agencies who work with [government] officials or embassy staff to promise non-quota hajj slots," Kurdi said.
Every year, thousands of potential Indonesian pilgrims fail to undertake their journey due to travel agents who made false promises that they couldn't act on.
The agencies usually claim that they work in cooperation with government officials and embassy staff members. The vacations are sold at a much higher price than the government hajj packages.
"Though they are expensive, non-quota trips do not necessarily get better facilities. Many of the people on these trips are later left stranded in Arafat despite having paid so much," added Kurdi.
The chairman said that there were about 17,000 non-quota hajj pilgrims leaving for Saudi Arabia on this year's pilgrimage.