Last group of haj pilgrims depart
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's last group of haj pilgrims departed for Saudi Arabia yesterday, bringing to a close the first stage of the country's massive airlift of 201,961 people which began March 6.
The last flight of haj pilgrims departed from Polonia Airport in Medan, North Sumatra, and consisted of 93 pilgrims from Medan and 96 from Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, Antara said.
Minister of Religious Affairs Quraish Shihab flew out of Halim Perdanakusuma Airport here Tuesday, along with the last group of pilgrims from Jakarta.
Antara said Quraish would wait for and accompany Vice President B.J. Habibie, who reportedly planned to go on haj after attending the second Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in London from April 2 to April 4.
Quraish is this year's amirulhaj, or leader of Indonesian pilgrims. He is expected to hold dialogs with the Saudi Arabian government on ways to improve pilgrimage operations.
Antara reported that two major Moslem organizations in Indonesia -- Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah -- have determined that Idul Adha or Sacrifice Day, which marks the peak of the haj pilgrimage, falls on April 7. This will be a public holiday.
Indonesia will start airlifting its pilgrims home several days after Idul Adha, an operation which will last through May 21.
Antara also reported from New York yesterday that the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution Tuesday making Idul Adha a mandatory holiday for its employees despite protests by several countries that the UN already had enough holidays.
With Idul Adha as a holiday, UN workers will have 10 official holidays a year. Next week is also holy week for Christians, with Good Friday recognized as a holiday.
Before Tuesday's adoption of a 10th holiday, UN employees had days off for Christmas, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Idul Fitri and America's Presidents' Day, Independence Day, Labor Day Memorial Day and Thanksgiving.
The resolution on Idul Adha was sponsored by the Group of 77 and China. The Group of 77 is composed of more than 120 countries, a majority of the UN General Assembly's 185 members. It specified that no UN meetings could be held during Idul Adha.
During preliminary discussions on the latest holiday, scores of countries protested the proposal. But they were overcome by the Group of 77.
On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson issued a statement saying that another holiday would send a wrong signal when the UN needed efficiency and cost effective measures.
Richardson claimed that UN employees already had 50 holidays, observed in different parts of the world where UN employees are posted.
"The perception of such a move (holiday) is contrary to reform" in the UN organization, Richardson said.