Mina stampede must not recur

Mina stampede must not recur

The 205,000 Indonesian pilgrims heading back home from Mecca
this year will have had a variety of experiences, be they good or
bad. However, the tragedy at Mina -- the stampede at the devil-
pelting ritual in which 57 Indonesians were killed -- is likely
to be at the forefront of their minds.

The Indonesian casualties could have been avoided if the
victims abided by the schedules set for their rituals. The
stampede is proof of the negligence on the part of the Indonesian
haj management -- they must be held responsible for the tragedy.
The management did not notify the Indonesians about the Saudi
government's arrangements -- an allocated time schedule for
Indonesian pilgrims.

The Indonesian government could not have lodged any protest
with the Saudi government as suggested by Muhammadyah
organization chairman Syafii Maarif (The Jakarta Post, Feb. 5),
because the time schedules for the rituals had been clearly
arranged beforehand. Instead, we should blame the head of each
haj group, as the government has decreed that groups of 10
pilgrims should be headed by a leader experienced in handling
pilgrimage rituals, who is fully aware of time schedules.
Devil-pelting rituals are the most difficult to coordinate
besides the non-compulsory kissing of the black stone (hajar
aswad) attached to one of the four Kaaba's corners.

We must lend our support to the government's plan to
reorganize the haj management, following the recent failure of
about 30,000 would-be pilgrims to depart to Saudi Arabia. We
should also welcome the Ministry of Religious Affairs'
willingness not to monopolize haj management in the future,
leaving it to professional organizers to plan against chaos and
tragedy.

M. RUSDI
Jakarta