Haj pilgrims and problems

Haj pilgrims and problems

From Gatra

I have learned that this year's departure of haj pilgrims is chaotic.

The chaos stems from a passport problem. Hundreds of haj pilgrims could not leave for Saudi Arabia because their passports were not ready. Republika hinted that inequity of financial benefits for the agencies involved in the issuance of passports resulted in the chaos.

When the government still allowed the use of "green" passports, this sort of problem never existed. Rumors which said that pilgrims using green passports were sent back to Indonesia by the Saudi Arabian government are not true. They had to leave Saudi Arabia because their visa (not haj visa) had expired.

The problem is that the government is not capable of replacing the green passports with brown passports, within the period of time available, and thus hundreds of haj pilgrims were affected.

Unfortunately the officials took advantage of this condition to extort the potential haj pilgrims. The chaos also bred illegal fees. The cost of the haj pilgrimage is more expensive than the cost of a journey, as tourists, to America.

First, they have to apply for haj passports (brown passports), which are several times the cost of a green passport. Yet the brown passport is only valid for one year, whereas the ordinary passport is valid for six years.

Second, they have to pay for Faskim (Immigration facilities).

Third, they must arrange for a certificate of good conduct.

Fourth, they must arrange their haj pilgrimage through the government, or an agency appointed by the government. Thus they have lost their freedom for carrying out the haj pilgrimage individually, as the Malaysian haj pilgrims do.

In fact, many of the potential haj pilgrims are businessmen, managers or ulemas who are capable of conducting haj pilgrimage without guidance from the government.

Is the quota ratio 1:1000 still relevant? To the best of my knowledge, there are about three million pilgrims every year. Since the number of Moslems in the world is about one billion, the quota can be increased to 1:500, so that each country has the same quota ratio.

YUNI SAFARIANA

Jakarta