Purbaya Cancels Hajj Pilgrimage

VIVA – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said that he and his family have cancelled their plans to undertake the Hajj pilgrimage in 2026.

Mr Purbaya did not reveal the reasons for cancelling the fifth pillar of Islam. He merely said it was ‘not his fortune yet’.

‘That’s not happening,’ he said with a small laugh when asked by reporters at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Thursday, 21 May 2026.

However, he emphasised that the cancellation was not due to a request from President Prabowo Subianto nor to any state duty.

He said the cancellation occurred because it is ‘not his fortune and not yet the time’ to depart in 2026. ‘No, it wasn’t requested by the President; perhaps it’s not the time yet, not his fortune,’ Mr Purbaya said.

Mr Purbaya said he was saddened not to be able to perform the pilgrimage and expressed hope that he could undertake the pilgrimage in 2027. ‘It’s sad, perhaps, but it’s not too sad, because it’s not the time yet. Pray that next year it won’t be cancelled again,’ he said.

He added that the cancellation also applied to all members of his family: ‘The whole family is cancelled.’

Earlier, Purbaya had said he planned to go to the Holy Land to perform the pilgrimage on Thursday, 21 May 2026, if there were no obstacles. (ANTARA)