Indonesian Consulate prepares 700 support staff to serve Hajj pilgrims in Mecca

Mecca (ANTARA) - The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Jeddah and the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah are preparing more than 700 support personnel (tepung) for the Hajj Organising Officers (PPIH) in Saudi Arabia to be assigned to serve Indonesian pilgrims in the Mecca region, Saudi Arabia.

The Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Jeddah, Yusron B. Ambary, stated that hundreds of these officers were recruited from among residents in Saudi Arabia as well as Indonesian students in the Middle East who possess adequate Arabic language skills.

“They will later be placed in pilgrim hotels, in kitchens, managing transportation, accommodation, and monitoring the Markaziah area if any Hajj pilgrims get lost or missing,” said Yusron after opening the Technical Guidance (Bimtek) for PPIH Support Personnel 2026 in Mecca on Monday.

Secondly, Yusron urged the personnel to have mental and physical readiness through the “Tepung Philosophy”.

“Tepung means they must be ready to get ‘messy’ like in the kitchen, but the result will be a beautiful cake. It means the personnel must be ready to be busy and work hard to realise a blessed Hajj for the pilgrims,” said Yusron.

“I never believe in Superman; what exists is a super team,” said Yusron.

In addition to serving the basic needs of pilgrims, these 700 support personnel will also serve as the frontline to synergise with the Pilgrim Protection Team formed by KJRI Jeddah.

Yusron instructed the personnel to act quickly in reporting any potential legal cases affecting pilgrims in the field. Early handling is crucial to prevent problems from escalating.

“The trend is that cases which can be resolved from the start by discussing them amicably with local officers usually do not proceed to legal processes. However, if they enter formal legal processes, we must follow them,” said Yusron.