Next year's haj pilgrimage fee set at Rp 7.2 million

JAKARTA (JP): The government announced yesterday that the 1996 official fee for the pilgrimage to Mecca will be Rp 7,290,000 (US$3,230), roughly 3 percent higher than this year's fee.

Announcing the new charge, Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher said that the increase had been introduced because of an 11-point change in the position of the rupiah against the United States and Saudi currencies.

This year's fee was Rp 7,070,000.

Tarmizi said that the 1996 quota for Indonesian pilgrims is 195,000 people.

To manage the enormous number of people going on the haj pilgrimage to Mecca, the Saudi government sets a quota of one for every 1,000 people in each country.

According to Tarmizi, because of this year's large number of registrants for the pilgrimage, more than 40,000 Indonesians are already registered for next year's pilgrimage.

"Due to the fact that as many as 40,720 haj candidates from last year's (1995) waiting list have agreed to perform the pilgrimage in 1996, the number of registrants accepted through government banks will only be 155,000," he said.

He added that registration and payment in full of the 1996 fee begins on Sept. 1, estimating the quota will be filled within two-months.

In making the announcement, Tarmizi was accompanied by Director General for Islamic and Haj Affairs Amidhan and Minister of Information Harmoko, who acted as a haj leader of the Indonesian contingent in 1994.

According to Tarmizi, the private agency rate for the haj pilgrimage, known as ONH Plus, will cost between US$6,000 and $9,000.

Elaborating on the expenses, Amidhan said that -- per pilgrim -- air fares would cost Rp 3,920,200, pocket money while in Saudi Arabia Rp 924,000, housing Rp 1,188,880, general services in Saudi Arabia Rp 322,784 and pocket money while still here Rp 50,000.

Transportation in Saudi Arabia would cost Rp 280,896, consumption at the airport Rp 277,200 and airport tax Rp 5,000.

An additional Rp 440,000 would also be allocated for various administrative, immigration, medical and other services provided to the pilgrims, he said.

Amidhan estimates that the average amount of time spent in Saudi Arabia by pilgrims in 1996 would be 30 days, or six days shorter than that spent in 1995.

He said that, with a shorter length of stay, the total amount of pocket money needed by the pilgrims would only be 1,500 Saudi reals, as compared with this year's total of 1,700 reals.

Amidhan said the reduction in the length of stay was aimed at preventing the pilgrims from doing too much shopping while in Saudi Arabia.

Later yesterday, Tarmizi also inducted Ahmad Ghozali as the Ministry of Religious Affair's new secretary-general. Ghozali replaces Zarkowie Soejoeti, who is retiring.

Before assuming his current position Ghozali was the ministry's inspector general.(mds)