Cak Imin: Hajj Departure Ticket Auction Proposal is Ineffective
Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar believes the idea of a bidding or ticket auction system is ineffective in reducing the long waiting periods for hajj departures. The man often called Cak Imin warns against allowing this concept to discard years of anticipation for prospective pilgrims.
“I haven’t seen that as effective, because the queuing system is truly in place and people have been queuing for a long time. Don’t let the long waiting period be cut off, dashing hopes,” said the Chairman General of the National Awakening Party at the PKB office in Jakarta on Friday night, 10 April 2026.
According to Cak Imin—Muhaimin’s nickname—the timing is not right to discuss this idea, even though it is permissible. He emphasises that the government should implement the departure system according to the original plan.
“I think those who are already queuing with only five years left are pitiful. Especially those with only two years left, what about their fate?” he wondered.
Historically, the hajj waiting system has been in place in Indonesia since 2008. This system was implemented because public interest in hajj is very high, exceeding the annual quota given by Saudi Arabia.
The hajj queues in various regions of Indonesia vary, from a dozen to as long as 47 years. However, starting this year, the government has standardised the hajj waiting period for all regions to 26 years.
The idea of abolishing the queuing system and applying a ticket war emerged after President Prabowo Subianto instructed the Ministry of Hajj to revolutionise hajj organisation. In a working meeting with the Cabinet Merah Putih officials at the State Palace on Wednesday, 8 April 2026,
Prabowo expressed his desire to shorten the hajj waiting period, which has long been a major issue for Muslims in Indonesia. “We are now fighting and alhamdulillah we have reports that the hajj queue is no longer 48 years. Starting 2026, the longest hajj queue will be 26 years, and I will fight to make it even shorter,” said Prabowo.
Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mochamad Irfan Yusuf said one idea that has emerged is to abolish the waiting list system and switch to a ticket war or direct registration mechanism. Irfan said this system was once implemented in Indonesia before the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) was established.
In the past, Irfan explained, the system in place was direct registration or ticket war. The government would announce the hajj costs for the current year and the available quota, then open registration for a certain period. Anyone with the financial and physical capability could register directly.
The pilgrims who departed were those who first managed to pay the hajj costs and secure tickets. “The government announces this year’s hajj costs, registration opens from this date to that date, those who want to go on hajj, please pay. Like a ‘ticket war’,” said Irfan at the opening of the National Working Meeting on Hajj Organisation for the Hajj 1447 Hijriah in Tangerang, Banten, as uploaded on the Ministry of Hajj’s YouTube account on Wednesday, 8 April 2026.