Analyst views Polri's Hajj Task Force as a public service instrument
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Legal and political analyst Boni Hargens views the establishment of the Hajj and Umrah Task Force by the Indonesian National Police (Polri) as a public service instrument.
“The formation of the Task Force will ensure security and smooth services for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims in 2026,” Boni stated in a comment in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He noted that Indonesia is consistently the world’s largest sender of Hajj pilgrims, with hundreds of thousands of citizens performing the pilgrimage each year.
The scale, he said, brings non-trivial security and logistical challenges, both domestically and in the Holy Land.
Thus, he opined that the instruction from Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo to form the Hajj Task Force reflects an understanding that Hajj security is an issue with multiple dimensions.
The dual dimensions referred to are the religious dimension concerning citizens’ constitutional right to worship and the public security dimension requiring cross-institutional coordination.
From a public policy perspective, he described the formation of the Hajj Task Force as a responsive step to the uncertain security dynamics in the Middle East.
“Polri must ensure that Indonesian Hajj pilgrims are comprehensively protected, from the departure process, travel, to their return to the homeland,” he stated.
On the other hand, he believes the Police Chief’s emphasis on the importance of national unity responds to the increasingly uncertain geopolitical context, namely global trade tensions, shifts in the multipolar world order, and social fragmentation threats accelerated by digital disinformation.
Boni emphasised that internal stability is a highly valuable strategic asset for Indonesia amid current dynamics. Thus, the Police Chief’s statement on national unity is not mere rhetoric.
In his capacity as head of the domestic security institution, he assessed that the Police Chief’s affirmation has operational implications that Polri will use its authority to protect social cohesion, prevent polarisation, and take action against actors attempting to divide society for narrow interests.
The formation of this task force is a follow-up to the coordination results between Polri and the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag).
“Polri is committed to supporting and ensuring the success of the 1447 Hijriah/2026 CE Hajj pilgrimage so that it runs safely, orderly, and comfortably for all Indonesian Hajj pilgrims,” said Deputy Head of Bareskrim Polri Inspector General of Police Nunung Syaifuddin in Jakarta on Friday (17/4).
According to Nunung, the organisation of Hajj not only concerns worship aspects but also citizen protection, national image, and international trust.
The Hajj and Umrah Task Force, he said, will serve as a strategic instrument in ensuring pilgrim protection as well as law enforcement against Hajj organisation violations that occur.