On Hajj Ticket Scramble, Cak Imin: They've Been Queuing for a Long Time, Don't Dash Their Hopes
Jakarta, VIVA – The General Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB), Muhaimin Iskandar, alias Cak Imin, has criticised the discourse on implementing a ticket scramble or hunting system for Hajj pilgrimage departures to the Holy Land.
Cak Imin assessed that this scheme has the potential to disrupt the queuing system that has been running for a long time.
According to him, the effectiveness of this policy is still very much in doubt, especially regarding the fate of prospective pilgrims who have been waiting for years to take their turn.
“I haven’t seen it as effective yet, because the queuing system is truly already running and people have been queuing for a long time. Don’t let the long waiting period then be cut off, dashing hopes,” said Cak Imin to reporters, quoted on Saturday, 11 April 2026.
He emphasised that the government must be careful so that the new policy does not disadvantage pilgrims who are already close to their departure schedule.
He highlighted the condition of those who are just waiting a few more years.
“Well, I think those who are already in the queue with only 5 years left are to be pitied. Especially those with only 2 years left in the queue, what about their fate?” he continued.
Muhaimin also assessed that the discourse is still too far from being realised. He said the “war ticket” idea is not yet pressing and remains at the level of an initial concept.
“Well, that’s still just discourse, still far away, still a long way off. It could happen, but one day after the process—it’s just discourse like that,” he stressed.
Previously, the Indonesian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Kemenhaj) is studying a radical breakthrough to address the Hajj queuing issue that has persisted for decades.
One emerging discourse is to implement a “War Tiket” mechanism or a direct registration system without long queues, similar to the Hajj departure process in the past.
The Minister of Hajj and Umrah of Indonesia, Mochamad Irfan Yusuf, revealed that this idea stems from progressive thinking within the Ministry, including from the Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah.
The aim is to find a solution so that prospective pilgrims do not have to wait too long to depart for the Holy Land.
“Does the queue need to be that long? Couldn’t we think about returning to the era before BPKH (Hajj Financial Management Agency) existed? Before BPKH, insyaallah there was no queue,” said the Hajj Minister at the National Work Meeting (Rakernas) for Consolidation of Hajj Worship Implementation for 1447 H/2025 M, held at the Grand El Hajj Hajj Dormitory (Cipondoh Hajj Dormitory), Tangerang, Banten, on Wednesday, 8 April 2026.