House Commission VIII pushes for stronger BPKH to optimise hajj fund investments

Member of House Commission VIII Maman Imanul Haq is pushing for the strengthening of the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) to make it more independent and autonomous in order to optimise the investment management of hajj funds.

“The first keyword is that we actually support BPKH becoming more independent, more autonomous. As an institution mandated to manage pilgrims’ money, this independence is what we are actually asking for, so that BPKH cannot be intervened in and cannot also be regulated merely as a cashier for the Ministry of Hajj,” Maman said in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday.

According to Maman, BPKH carries a major mandate because it manages the entrusted funds of prospective hajj pilgrims while also being responsible for developing those funds through various safe and productive investment instruments.

Therefore, BPKH must be given room to work independently without intervention from any party.

Besides encouraging the strengthening of independence, Commission VIII also asked BPKH to continue improving its investment performance.

Maman assessed that optimal investment development would increase the value of benefits that can be used to support the implementation of the hajj pilgrimage and various service needs for pilgrims.

He also emphasised the importance of synergy between BPKH and the Ministry of Hajj so that the various investments BPKH has built can be utilised optimally within Indonesia’s hajj implementation ecosystem.

Maman added that Commission VIII sees BPKH’s performance continuing to show improvement from year to year. With the presence of the Ministry of Hajj as a working partner focused on hajj implementation, he is optimistic that the management of hajj funds and the development of BPKH’s investments can run more effectively going forward.

“The President also supports a more independent BPKH that is capable of generating stronger investments to support the hajj ecosystem. That is why we want BPKH to become stronger, more professional, and increasingly beneficial for Indonesian hajj pilgrims,” he said.