PBNU's Response to Hajj War Ticket Proposal from the Government

Nahdlatul Ulama General Chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf has questioned the mechanism proposed by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to abolish the hajj waiting period and implement a war or bidding ticket system. Yahya assessed that the idea is merely discourse and has not been thoroughly considered. “If someone comes up with an idea and daydreams on their own, that’s fine,” he said when met at the PBNU office in Jakarta on Friday, 10 April 2026. For Yahya, eliminating the hajj waiting period and applying the war ticket system requires serious calculations. He stated that the government must consider aspects of justice for prospective pilgrims who are already waiting. “What about those who have been waiting, for example? That needs to be considered, right?” he said. Yahya revealed that up to now, PBNU has not been involved in the initial discussions regarding this discourse. According to him, a public policy idea should go through a thorough study process and involve various parties. He also refrained from speculating on the possibility of implementing such a system. According to Yahya, the discourse is not yet clear, so it is not worth debating. “I have to see first whether this is an idea or a serious proposal or not? I don’t know either,” he said. Nevertheless, Yahya stated that PBNU is ready to form a team to conduct studies and provide recommendations if the discourse is officially discussed. Historically, the hajj waiting system has been in place in Indonesia since 2008. This system was implemented because public interest in hajj is very high, exceeding the annual quota given by Saudi Arabia. The hajj queues in various regions in Indonesia vary, from a dozen to as long as 47 years. However, starting this year, the government has standardised the hajj waiting period for all regions to 26 years. The discourse to abolish the queuing system and implement war tickets emerged after President Prabowo Subianto ordered the Ministry of Hajj to revolutionise hajj management. Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mochamad Irfan Yusuf said one of the ideas that emerged was to eliminate the waiting list system and switch to a war ticket or direct registration mechanism. Irfan said the system was once implemented in Indonesia before the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) was established. In the past, Irfan explained, the system in place was direct registration or war tickets. The government at that time would announce the current year’s hajj costs and available quota, then open registration for a certain period. Anyone with financial capability and good physical condition could register directly. The pilgrims who departed were those who first succeeded in paying the hajj costs and securing tickets.