Haji Prabowo and the Transformation of Indonesian Hajj

Long waiting periods have driven many Indonesians, devout Muslims with fervour for performing the hajj, to resort to illegal measures to undertake the pilgrimage, resulting in practices of manipulation, corruption and rent-seeking in the governance of the hajj, the main actors being the parties holding hajj authorities and the players in the ‘hajj-umrah industry’ both domestically and abroad. With a heavy heart I must call them the ‘Hajj Cartel’. They are rooted in a wide, extensive network with substantial capital and media power. For so long they have remained almost untouchable, always failing to be toppled, always hiding behind the sacred doctrine of Religion, the sacred doctrine of hajj, in truth perpetuating governance that is closed and controlled by the ‘hajj cartel’. The impact is that improvements in hajj services are hard to change and upgrade, especially for regular hajj; if one wants to upgrade, it is to go for special hajj, non-regular quotas, which must pay more, which is irrational given the service received, yet buyers remain many. The hajj cartel exploits the asymmetric hajj market to reap maximum profits. The governance of hajj finances is in fact managed by a Ponzi scheme; I must dare to reveal this fact, because I do not want the government of President Prabowo Subianto to be trapped in the governance of hajj finances, which I find unjust to the pilgrims and to Indonesian pilgrimages. BPKH or the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) that was expected to be formed several years ago could provide benefits for pilgrims and Indonesian pilgrimage, but instead provides no significant economic or management benefits and seems only to exploit hajj funds for interests outside Indonesian pilgrimage and could at any time become a ‘time bomb’ that will harm pilgrims and the country in the long term. I often refer to it as the ‘Hajj Financial Trap’.

“Clean Sweep”

“When President Prabowo Subianto was appointed as Vice-Chairman of the Hajj Organising Agency (BPH) RI, together with Gus Irfan as Head, the President’s instruction was clear: ‘you two, clean up Indonesian hajj, while BPH acts for now, prepare to move towards the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.’

After six months in office, I reported the above facts to President Prabowo Subianto, regarding the Hajj Cartel, the time-bomb in hajj finances. The President’s reaction and order at that time was brief: ‘clean up, sweep it all away.’

Honestly, upon hearing that order, Gus Irfan and I were full of confidence, so we both, without hesitation, maximised the early clean-up; the main face we presented as the first step was integrity, the face of anti-corruption and rent-seeking practices. Although we knew it would not be easy, we began boldly and somewhat recklessly, until the order to pursue the establishment of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah RI materialised, with commitment and maximum support from the leadership of the DPR and its members.

Steps of Hajj Transformation.

President Haji Prabowo Subianto does not want hajj to simply remain a meaningless routine ritual; he wants hajj with a long history for humanity and for Indonesia, to have an impact on national life and Indonesia’s role in the global world. Thus, stemming from the President’s thoughts and desires, three major visions for Indonesian hajj emerged: Tri Sukses; Ritual Success, Hajj Economic Ecosystem Success, and Civilisation and Decorum Success. Tri Sukses is the road map for the transformation of Indonesian hajj under the leadership of the 8th President of Indonesia, Haji Prabowo Subianto. The transformation begins by ensuring the ritual agenda is successful, followed by the successful economic ecosystem agenda, and finally the agenda of transforming values through the high civilisations and civility of citizens in national life also succeeding, or as we often call it, true felicity.

First, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of the Republic of Indonesia must manage to implement many changes in hajj and umrah service and ritual governance. In other words, the routine of worship from departure to the Holy Land to return home must run well; preparations and services domestically, including the Hajj Hostel, flights, pilgrims’ meals, hotels or lodgings, health services, tents in Arafat and Mina, all must operate effectively in accordance with applicable sharia, with no more cheating, manipulation, corruption or rent-seeking, pilgrims must be served with excellence.

All of this is being worked on to the maximum by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah RI, with the assistance of many other parties both within and outside the government.

There are 20 transformation steps in the administration that have been implemented by the Government of President Haji Prabowo Subianto through the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah RI to ensure good service and management of hajj, namely unifying the Hajj Health Centre under one institutional umbrella with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah RI, a fair allocation of hajj quotas – there will be no more 49-year queues for all provinces, i.e. 26 years and possibly even faster in the future – 5-10 years; the regular hajj quota for pilgrims will be larger by reducing the quota for KBIHU and PHDal; setting the PIHK staff quota to 3 for 45, i.e. 3 staff for 45 special Hajj pilgrims. Then there is the initiation of multi-year contracts for cost efficiency, cheaper contracts and earlier preparation, establishing an ES1 unit for control and supervision of hajj services, and building the hajj economic ecosystem, eliminating prepayment deferrals for special hajj settlement to be based on order of queue, efficient, transparent and accountable service processes, reducing hajj costs by 6 million rupiah compared with the previous period. Then distribution and activation…