Haj pilgrims won't receive subsidy from government

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher said yesterday the government would not subsidize the spiraling cost of the haj pilgrimage since it would be against Islamic teachings, but assured that the fee would not go over Rp 9 million (US$3,157).

Tarmizi claimed the tariff hike was unavoidable and higher than expected due to the sharp depreciation of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar.

He added that the rising cost of accommodation in Saudi Arabia was another factor in the elevating price.

Tarmizi refused to reveal the exact amount.

"The new fee will be less than Rp 9 million, and the presidential decree on the tariff will be issued in the next few days," Tarmizi said after meeting with President Soeharto at the Bina Graha presidential office.

Able Moslems are required to perform the haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia at least once in their lives.

The government-set cost of the pilgrimage held in April this year was Rp 7,551,000.

Last year Tarmizi pledged that the fare would not be more than Rp 8 million.

Tarmizi argued that the government did all it could do in curbing the cost. Taking the depreciation of the rupiah into account, Tarmizi claimed the cost of the pilgrimage would now range between Rp 9.5 million to Rp 10 million.

"The President said the government will not profit from the haj pilgrimage, but neither will the government subsidize the cost," Tarmizi said quoting the President.

"It is against Islamic principles," Tarmizi said in defense of the no subsidy rule.

The haj is the fifth tenet of Islam and is compulsory for all Moslems. In April, Indonesia sent 197,615 haj pilgrims to Mecca.

It is expected that people will start departing for next year's pilgrimage in March.

Indonesia's annual haj operation has been described by some people as the "biggest peacetime airlift operation" in history, with departures divided into 470 groups of pilgrims.

Many have complained that the haj cost in Indonesia is high compared to what others pay in the Southeast Asia region.

"We want to provide better dormitories for our people," Tarmizi said when asked about the rising cost.

"The government is strongly committed to give the best service to pilgrims," Tarmizi said.

Haj candidates are required to pay in advance through state- owned banks and registration will be closed before the year's end.

Saudi Arabia's government has set a quota for each country to send not more than one percent of each population. Indonesia's population is about 200 million.

Observers have said that if no quota was set, some 500,000 people would apply for next year's haj.

"The President hopes that only healthy people and those who can afford the cost will go on the haj next year," Tarmizi said.

The government plans to tighten medical checkups of anyone planning to join the haj pilgrimage next year, especially the elderly. During this year's haj, 765 Indonesian pilgrims died. (prb)