Former Religious Affairs Minister Justifies Hajj Quota Distribution for Public Safety; Anti-Corruption Commission Questions Decision
Jakarta — The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has scrutinised remarks by former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas regarding his division of additional hajj quotas into equal allocations of 10,000 each for regular and special hajj categories, citing the justification of ensuring pilgrim safety.
Asep Guntur Rahayu, KPK Deputy for Enforcement and Execution, stated that the concept of discretion must be properly understood. He explained that discretion should only be exercised to protect individuals or groups whilst violating existing regulations, and only when serving a greater purpose.
“How can those who have queued for several decades, who may have saved up for years, be set aside, especially if they lack the financial means to go immediately?” he remarked.
Asep also noted that the additional hajj quota was provided by Saudi Arabia to the Indonesian government, not to individuals or travel agencies.
“The hajj quota was given by the Saudi Arabian government to the Indonesian government. This is government-to-government, not to individuals or travel companies but to the state,” he said.
However, Yaqut issued a Ministerial Regulation dividing the quota equally.
“The issue stems from existing legislation regulating this matter. If we trace the original intention behind the request, it was indeed for regular hajj. After the quota was granted, the legislation already stipulated 92 percent and 8 percent allocations, yet the decision was made differently. We have observed both formal and material evidence of the ministerial decision allocating 50 percent to each category,” he added.
Previously, former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas explained his reasoning for issuing a ministerial regulation dividing the additional hajj quota equally into 10,000 allocations each.
He justified the quota determination as prioritising the safety of pilgrims due to the limited hajj quota provided by the Saudi Arabian government.
“The sole consideration I made when determining the quota distribution was hibtun nafsi, protecting the safety of pilgrims, because of limited space available in Saudi Arabia,” Yaqut stated during a pre-trial hearing at the Jakarta South District Court on Tuesday, 24 February 2026.
Yaqut noted that the implementation of the hajj pilgrimage does not fall solely under the jurisdiction of the Indonesian government.
“We are bound by regulations in Saudi Arabia, including quota distribution. There is a memorandum of understanding that we use as guidance, and this gave rise to the ministerial regulation,” he explained.