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DPR member suggests increasing hajj officers from TNI and Polri, here's why

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Tempo - January 8, 2025

Antara, Jakarta – Member of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) Selly Andriany Gantina proposed that the government increase the number of hajj officers from the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police (Polri) elements.

Selly conveyed the proposal at the meeting of the Hajj Pilgrimage Cost Working Committee (BPIH) of Commission VIII of the DPR together with Deputy Speaker of the DPR and Chair of the 2025 Hajj Supervisory Team Sufmi Dasco Ahmad at the parliamentary complex, Senayan, Central Jakarta, Tuesday, January 7, 2025.

"Based on yesterday's experience (2024 Hajj), hajj officers from the TNI/Polri elements should be increased," said Selly.

The politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) said that based on her experience supervising the implementation of the hajj pilgrimage, hajj officers from the TNI or Polri elements worked more alertly.

"They are more alert when carrying out rescue efforts for pilgrims, especially elderly and disabled pilgrims," she said.

Previously, on Monday, December 30, 2024, in a meeting with Commission VIII of the DPR, Minister of Religion Nasaruddin Umar said that the Ministry of Religion would continue to strive to increase the quota of hajj officers as in previous years because the number of hajj pilgrims to be served was 221 thousand people.

"The number (of hajj officers) has not reached the ideal stage, considering that the hajj pilgrims to be served were 221,000 people. Therefore, we will continue to strive to get an additional quota of officers as in previous years," said Nasaruddin.

He said that his consideration was that on average Indonesian hajj pilgrims were old, so they needed assistance in carrying out the hajj pilgrimage. According to him, the most appropriate assistance is an officer from Indonesia, because they speak the same language and know the medical history of the hajj pilgrims.

"The most effective and most appropriate way to accompany them is assistance from Indonesia, because they speak the same language, maybe they also know the medical history and actually also help Saudi Arabia, because the more assistance we provide, it will automatically reduce the burden on Saudi Arabian officers," said the Minister of Religion.

In 2025, the Saudi Arabian government set a quota of 2,210 hajj officers. This number is lower than the number of hajj officers in 2024 which reached 4,200 people.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Religion continues to strive to increase the number of hajj officers from Indonesia through negotiations with the Saudi Arabian government.

"Hopefully we will be given the opportunity and succeed in negotiating regarding these officers," said the Director General of Hajj and Umrah Organization of the Ministry of Religion Hilman Latief in a Hearing with the 2025 BPIH Working Committee of Commission VIII of the DPR at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Thursday, January 2, 2025.

Hilman said that efforts to increase the number of hajj officers needed to be carried out because ideally Indonesian hajj pilgrims needed as many as 4,200 hajj officers as last year. "This number has not reached our ideal stage which is usually 4,200 officers," he said.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1961365/dpr-member-suggests-increasing-hajj-officers-from-tni-and-polri-heres-wh

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