Govt considers permanent lodgings in Saudi Arabia

JAKARTA (JP): The government will explore the possibility of providing Indonesian haj pilgrims with permanent lodgings in Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, Minister of Religious Affairs Quraish Shihab said yesterday.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with President Soeharto at his private residence on Jl. Cendana, Central Jakarta, Quraish said the plan was intended to provide pilgrims with less expensive, more comfortable accommodation.

"Of course, we must take into account all Saudi Arabia's prevailing laws," the minister said.

Quraish did not say whether Indonesia intended to buy houses in Saudi Arabia, or lease them on long-term contracts.

Brunei Darussalam already has permanent lodgings for its haj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia. However, compared to Indonesia, which sends an average of 200,000 pilgrims each year, the number of Bruneian pilgrims was relatively small, he said.

The religious affairs ministry currently leases housing for pilgrims in Mecca and Medina on a short-term basis. The minister said that houses near Masjidil Haram were more expensive than accommodation far from the mosque.

Islam states that every able-bodied person should perform the haj once in their lifetime. Pilgrims stay in the Holy Land for 40 days, of which 10 days are spent in Mecca and Medina before and after the rituals.

When asked about luxury haj operators who left their customers stranded in Saudi Arabia this year, the minister said that he would not hesitate to revoke their permits if they were proved to have been negligent.

"We are still studying the case because this is the first incident of its type that we have faced," Quraish said.

Some operators, including the well-known Tiga Utama, reportedly failed to provide customers with return tickets, despite receiving the bookings well in advance of when the pilgrims were due to travel.

The operators run luxury tours for pilgrims which include star-rated hotels and a shorter time spent in the Holy Land.

"The operators are responsible for returning their clients to Indonesia. The Ministry of Religious Affairs takes no responsibility for the case," Quraish said.

The price of a regular haj this year was Rp 8.8 million (US$1,100).

The fee is expected to almost double next year because of the weakness of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar, but Quraish said the government would not subsidize the pilgrimage since only those with the financial means are obliged to perform the rite, according to Islamic teachings.

The minister also spoke of the possibility of introducing a fatwa (religious decree) allowing only physically fit people to undertake the arduous haj.

The move has been under consideration since earlier this month because of the usually high number of pilgrims who died in the Holy Land, mainly as a result of cardiovascular problems and old age.

This year 201,961 Indonesians went on the haj, of whom 673 died. (prb)