Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah emphasises that Hajj "War Ticket" remains mere discourse

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah (Wamenhaj), Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, has emphasised that the Hajj “War Ticket” or direct ticket purchase/competition system remains merely a discourse and is not a policy that will be directly implemented.

“(War Ticket) is not this year’s policy, so don’t get it wrong. It is not this year’s policy; it is our discourse,” Dahnil stated while closing the National Coordination Meeting of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah at the Cipondoh Hajj Dormitory in Tangerang on Friday.

Dahnil explained that the term “War Ticket” emerged as a formulation for Hajj transformation to enable the government to shorten the current average Hajj waiting time of 26.4 years.

However, the government is still seeking a formulation to implement this policy without sacrificing prospective Hajj pilgrims who have already registered.

“This is not a policy; it is an effort we are seeking to transform our Hajj system so that we can shorten the queue or even eliminate the queue,” Dahnil said.

Additionally, netizens have questioned the fate of prospective Hajj participants who have waited for decades and the potential for Hajj fraud.

On the other hand, supporters believe that the “War Ticket” could reduce Hajj queues, especially for those who have reached old age, so they can depart soon.

Moreover, this “War Ticket” would implement istithaah or a person’s true ability to perform Hajj, both physically, mentally, and financially. Especially since the religious command is for those who are able to perform Hajj.

Nevertheless, this discourse is still in the early study stage and has not been intensively discussed by the government.

“Well, one thing we are currently thinking about, we are formulating it—earlier termed as”War Ticket”,” Dahnil said.