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)