Menhaj on Hajj Ticket Auction Proposal: If It's Premature, We'll Halt It
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah (Menhaj), Mochamad Irfan Yusuf, stated that he is prepared to end the idea of a Hajj ticket auction if the proposal is considered too premature to proceed.
“If it is deemed too premature, we will close it for now until today, while we resolve the Hajj that is right in front of us,” said Irfan during a working meeting with DPR RI Commission VIII in Jakarta on Tuesday (14/4/2026).
“This is what has been buzzing lately; I admit it’s the war ticket. This war ticket is indeed a concept we are discussing in the Ministry of Hajj, and if asked who is responsible, I am the one who first introduced the term war ticket,” Irfan stated.
Previously reported, the Hajj war ticket proposal has drawn criticism from DPR RI Commission VIII.
Chairman of Commission VIII DPR, Marwan Dasopang, expressed concern over the scheme, fearing it could spark social jealousy and primarily benefit those with financial means.
“For example, with war ticket, who will be hunting these tickets? The ones hunting tickets are the rich people, right? So, the rich shouldn’t be limited either. If given free rein, then ordinary people won’t go on Hajj. There will be jealousy too,” Marwan said when met at the DPR RI Building on Friday (10/4/2026).
He also reminded that the Hajj organisation mechanism is regulated under Law No. 14 of 2025 on the Implementation of Hajj and Umrah Worship, which emphasises a registration system rather than ticket hunting.
“It states registration, not ticket hunting. Similarly, in this law, Law 8 of 2019, it’s the same. Still registration,” Marwan said.
According to him, implementing such a scheme could ignore principles of justice and create the impression that less affluent communities do not have equal opportunities to perform Hajj.
“Don’t let there be an announcement that the poor are prohibited from Hajj, right?” he remarked.
Similar criticism was voiced by DPR RI Commission VIII member Atalia Praratya. She assessed that the war ticket system could disadvantage prospective pilgrims who have been saving for a long time, particularly housewives and the elderly.
“What about the mothers in the villages who have been saving for 20 years? What about our grandparents who are not tech-savvy? They will be sidelined,” said Atalia on Friday (10/4/2026).
Atalia added that a system relying on speed of access and payment could create new inequalities.
“Hajj is a call of the soul, not a clicking race. If the war ticket system is implemented, the winners will be those with super-fast devices, the best internet connections, and instant financial capability,” she stated.
“We all agree that waiting nearly three decades is too long. However, the solution must not arise from haste that creates even bigger new problems,” Atalia concluded.