Legislator: Hajj Pilgrims Anxious About Failing to Depart Due to Not Receiving Luggage

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Abdul Wachid, revealed that the distribution of luggage for prospective Hajj pilgrims for 2026 remains uneven to date. This situation is seen as triggering anxiety among pilgrims who fear failing to depart due to the intensifying conflict in the Middle East. “To be honest, these questions from members require quite a long time, earlier there were issues with accommodation and catering. And lately, Mr Minister, the public or pilgrims are anxious about departing or not. After all that, the luggage hasn’t arrived yet. So it’s adding to the pilgrims’ anxiety,” Wachid said during a working meeting with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of the Republic of Indonesia on Wednesday (8/4/2026). “That luggage, 20,000, only 1,600 have arrived. I checked Central Java, it’s only been sent from Brebes, Tegal, Pemalang, Pekalongan. The ones to the east and south haven’t. So, we request who the vendor is. If necessary, we call the vendor. Because this is causing anxiety,” he stated. He mentioned that overall, the progress of luggage distribution has reached about 58 percent, particularly for the early departure batches served by Saudia Airlines. However, obstacles have occurred in shipments by Garuda Indonesia. Of the 20,617 suitcases that have been sent, only 1,653 have been confirmed received by the regional offices. “And this is focused on the early departure batches. However, there are significant obstacles, especially in shipments by Garuda Indonesia, where of the 20,617 suitcases sent by the airline, only 1,653 have been confirmed received by the regional offices. This is indeed a very low number,” said Irfan. The Gerindra politician added that they have asked Garuda Indonesia to immediately accelerate the distribution of those suitcases. “That’s why yesterday we asked Garuda’s side to immediately ensure the suitcases can be received in a short time. They promised maximum by the 16th. Maximum. Of course, efforts are being made so that it can be received by prospective pilgrims before that,” he concluded.