Minister clarifies "hajj ticket war" remains mere discourse

“It is still a discourse. So, pilgrims do not need to be afraid,” Yusuf said during a working meeting with Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He explained that the “ticket war” discourse is a proposed effort to shorten the queues for prospective Indonesian pilgrims, which he considers excessively long.

However, the discourse is still in the discussion stage. “We need breakthroughs to shorten these long queues,” he said.

According to him, the ticket war discourse requires extensive discussion with stakeholders, especially from Commission VIII of DPR, hajj business entrepreneur, and prospective pilgrims.

“There are many things that need to be discussed and it takes a long time to make a decision,” he said.

The “ticket war” proposal get criticism from legislators in the religious and social sectors. However, Yusuf stated that discussions will continue, considering that Indonesia needs new breakthroughs in addressing the issue of hajj queues.

He said he could not yet guarantee that the new scheme would be finalized next year, but the government would work to ensure it was completed as soon as possible.

Regardless, he emphasized that new scheme would not disrupt pilgrims already in the queue.

“What is certain is that we do not eliminate the queue. It will remain. The pilgrims have been waiting for five, ten, or 15 years, do not need to worry,” he said.

The minister also added that the Indonesian government had communicated with Saudi Arabia regarding a scheme to use neighboring countries’ Hajj quotas, as proposed by members of Commission VIII.

“We have explored this, but the Saudi government does not seem to welcome this scheme. We will try to discuss it further with them,” he said.

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Translator: Fath P, Asri Mayang Sari