Prabowo Holds Over 2.5-Hour Meeting with Hajj Minister: Here's the Content

Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi disclosed the contents of President Prabowo Subianto’s meeting regarding the evaluation of the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage organisation, held at his residence in Hambalang on Wednesday (17/6/2026). The meeting lasted approximately 2.5 hours. The meeting was attended by Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mochamad Irfan Yusuf (Gus Irfan), Deputy Minister of Hajj Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) who also serves as Chair of the Hajj Supervisory Team, Cucun Ahmad Syamsyurijal, and Commission VIII member Abidin Fikri, among others. “Earlier, the President received the DPR leadership, Deputy Speaker Mr Cucun as Chair of the 2026 Hajj Supervisory Team, along with the leadership of Commission VIII, one of whose partners is the Ministry of Hajj,” said Prasetyo after the meeting. “The meeting was full of warmth and discussion aimed at improving future Hajj implementation. I will now give the floor to Mr Cucun first,” he stated. On the same occasion, Deputy Speaker Cucun Ahmad Syamsyurijal reported that the 2026 Hajj organisation went well. He noted that Hajj costs were reduced by Rp 6 million over two years for two hundred thousand pilgrims. The Hajj waiting time was also reduced to 26 years from the previous 35-40 years. “Earlier, if possible, please find a way to make it even faster, a scheme so that this queue is not long,” he said. According to him, immigration departure points have also been able to anticipate illegal pilgrims attempting to enter Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, accommodation facilities for regular pilgrims have improved significantly. “Special Hajj pilgrims are used to staying in five-star hotels, but now almost 17,000 regular pilgrims are accommodated in Zone 1, around the Nabawi Mosque in Medina, and can stay in five-star hotels,” Prasetyo added. The food provided to regular pilgrims has also become more varied to prevent monotony. Regarding plans to lower Hajj costs for the 2027 pilgrimage, Minister of Hajj and Umrah Irfan Yusuf stated that discussions with the DPR are still ongoing. “It will be discussed further with the DPR, although we know this year’s challenges are extraordinary, especially the exchange rate, the rise in avtur prices, and the still unclear global situation,” said Gus Irfan in response to reporters’ questions. He added that there is still the issue of rising service prices from the Saudi Arabian government. The government plans to optimise the use of the ‘Hajj village’ next year to reduce costs, particularly in the accommodation budget. Regarding the Hajj queue, Gus Irfan revealed plans to shorten the waiting period even further. “For the President, it is still not satisfactory; he is thinking about finding ways to make it even faster, and we and our DPR colleagues must think hard to realise that,” he said. “Although we have set it at 26 years, if we look at it now, the average departure waiting time is 13-14 years. Hopefully, next year we can shorten it again,” he added.