Haj ministry to recheck 400,000 queue records at risk of being invalid
Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak said there is a risk that around 400,000 records are invalid out of the 5.7 million entries in the hajj waiting list, and his ministry will revalidate the data.
“Around 400,000, if multiplied by 25 million, amounts to 10 trillion rupiah, Sir. This is what we want to discuss together with the Ministry of Home Affairs. We will cross-check. Does this person actually exist? They have already paid the 25 million portion. They may have passed away,” he said during a meeting with the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Dahnil said his ministry will cross-check the data against population records from the Ministry of Home Affairs. According to him, some of the 400,000 people waiting for their hajj turn may have died, and their heirs do not wish to take over the pilgrimage slot or withdraw the funds already paid.
“Why? Because there is a belief: ‘Well, that belongs to my parents.’ And my parents are considered to have already performed the hajj. The money is still there. The fact that it is still there means it is recorded as invalid data. We will reconcile this seriously,” he said.
According to him, the validation process is important to determine the number of queue records that are truly still active and to confirm the existence of funds still recorded in the accounts of prospective pilgrims.
Regarding hajj and umrah funds, Dahnil said his ministry is also investigating travel companies that should be shut down immediately due to fraud cases.
He said this also needs attention because 3 million people perform umrah each year. Assuming an umrah cost of around Rp30 million per person, approximately Rp90 trillion circulates in funds for organising umrah.
He assessed that the amount is very large and carries a risk of fraud in the service, so it needs to be accompanied by supervision.
“And we have been tracing which companies or travel agents must be closed immediately. We must issue warnings. Today alone in Medan, for example, there are pilgrims who have been stranded. Every day there are always pilgrims who are stranded and deceived,” he said.