Govt will retain control over haj

Govt will retain control over haj

JAKARTA (JP): The government intends to retain control over departure arrangements for Indonesian haj pilgrims to Mecca next year, despite the chaos that marked this year's operation.

Before departing for Mecca on Sunday night, Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher promised that next year would be better and that changes would be made.

Tarmizi said that the operation next year will involve more private agencies, particularly Moslem organizations, and a savings plan for would-be pilgrims, Antara reported.

Moslem organizations will be involved in arranging the catering at the Pondok Gede haj dormitory and in managing the hospital within the complex, he said.

The government has guarded its monopoly in running the haj operation, which is a lucrative money spinner and one that private companies have been eying.

With the number of Indonesian pilgrims rising each year, some of the facilities and resources are reaching their limits. Pilgrims spend one night at the Pondok Gede dormitory before departing for Mecca and another on their return home.

The first week of this year's operation was engulfed in mayhem when thousands of would be pilgrims booked on the first flights out did not receive their Saudi Arabia visa on time.

Tarmizi is the Amirul Haj, the chief of the Indonesian haj delegation, which this year has reached a record of 196,000 people, up from 165,000 in 1994. Some 36,000 people who registered for the pilgrimage had to be bumped because Indonesia has been allocated a quota of 196,000 by Saudi Arabia.

Traditionally, the Amirul Haj boards the last plane out of Indonesia. Tarmizi, however, left on Sunday to meet with Saudi authorities, saying that he wanted to discuss the possibilities of a higher quota for Indonesian pilgrims next year in line with its increasing population.

"We hope the Indonesian haj quota can be increased to 200,000," he said, adding that those left stranded on the waiting list this year would be given priority.

He said this effectively leaves about 165,000 spaces available for next year's pilgrimage, and the government would close the registration as soon as it reached that number.

The government had originally planned 452 flights to fly the pilgrims to Mecca between April 3 and May 2. The operation has now been extended because some 4,655 pilgrims who did not have their visas ready had to delay their departures. The government has agreed to provide additional flights to fly them all out.

Meanwhile, Antara reported that a total of 50 Indonesian pilgrims have died in Saudi Arabia, mostly of heart attack and stroke. Last year, more than 600 Indonesians died during the pilgrimage. (emb)