Councilor backs call to scrap new haj rules

Councilor backs call to scrap new haj rules

JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) faction of
the City Council has backed a call by haj instructors to scrap a
numerical system for grouping pilgrims.

The faction's head, Councilor Achmad Suaidy, said yesterday
that the municipality's new system failed to place emphasis on
family and affinity groupings.

"There will be pilgrims who will become victims of the
system," he said.

"Their pilgrimage will not go smoothly because they are not
accompanied by relatives or haj instructors in the same group."

Achmad said the city's religious affairs office should review
the new regulation.

On Tuesday, about 2,000 haj instructors staged a rally in
front of the religious affairs office in East Jakarta and called
on the municipality to revoke the regulation.

The instructors, who are from the city's five mayoralties,
called themselves the Communication Forum of Instructors and
Consultants for Haj Pilgrims.

A spokeswoman for the forum, Suryani Qoidir, said Tuesday that
the new city regulation, which groups pilgrims from lists
provided by banks, has produced "absolutely unfair" results.

"Spouses have been separated even though they enrolled at the
same bank," she said. "I just don't understand."

Suryani said that if pilgrims were put in groups based on
family and affinity connections, as before, it would prevent
confusion and hardship during the pilgrimage.

Achmad said that the PPP faction backed the protesters' demand
"but I hope the protest will not become negative, with people
boycotting the pilgrimage."

He said that the city's religious affairs office should
discuss the issue with the forum.

"The office should take note of the forum's concerns," he
said. (ind)