Government under pressure to punish haj culprits

Government under pressure to punish haj culprits

JAKARTA (JP): Legislators from the Moslem-oriented United Development Party (PPP) urged the government Thursday to punish those responsible for the chaos surrounding this year's haj pilgrimage.

The party said that unscrupulous people must be dealt with sternly to ensure the fiasco will not be repeated in the future.

"I think those responsible for collecting the pilgrimage fees are the culprits, not the ministry of religious affairs as some allege," Hamzah Haz, chairman of PPP in the House of Representatives, surmised.

PPP's call came a day after Religious Affairs Minister Tarmizi Taher publicly apologized for the disarray of this year's haj operation.

Tarmizi said he was responsible for the confusion sparked by the postponement of thousands of pilgrims' departure. The delay was mainly caused by people not obtaining their visas on the due date.

More than 195,000 Indonesians are going to Mecca this season. About 65,000 applicants have been put on a waiting list because the Saudi government didn't increase Indonesia's quota as Jakarta had expected.

Hamzah said the government should be more professional in managing the haj pilgrimage to limit unrest among prospective haj pilgrims.

The PPP warned the ministry from the outset of the possible danger of sending too many pilgrims. The large numbers not only require professional management but also leaves room for corruption.

"The confusion began after many prospective pilgrims who didn't have visas were allowed to stay in the haj hostel. This resulted in many cancellations," he said.

Legislator Zarkasih Nur said the mayhem was caused by poor coordination among the corresponding agencies and the "money games" involved.

"But whatever the reason, we want all registered pilgrims to go," he said. (pan)