RI makes last bid for bigger haj quota
RI makes last bid for bigger haj quota
JAKARTA (JP): The government has sent the secretary general of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Zarkowi Soejoti, to Riyadh on another mission seeking a higher quota for Indonesian haj pilgrims this year.
Zarkowi left on Monday and will be in Riyadh until Saturday to discuss the possibility of accommodating some 36,000 additional Indonesian pilgrims.
With the countdown to the first flights taking Indonesian pilgrims to Mecca underway, Zarkowi's trip appears to be a last- ditch attempt. The first flights are scheduled to leave the country on April 3.
Some 231,000 Indonesian have registered for this year's haj pilgrimage, while Indonesia's quota is set only at 195,000.
Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher last month traveled to Riyadh to negotiate a higher quota. He returned empty handed but he remained hopeful that something would come up before the beginning of the pilgrimage.
Tarmizi's office coordinates transport, accommodation and counsel for Indonesia's pilgrims.
Tarmizi has warned people not to try to circumvent the government by making their own private arrangements since they will be denied entry to Saudi Arabia.
He was referring to those who intend to travel on ordinary green passports instead of the brown passports issued specially for the government trip.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs has already issued 130,000 passports for the 195,000 enlisted. These will soon be sent to the Saudi Arabian embassy in Jakarta for visa stamps.
Yesterday, legislator Ida Yusi Dahlan of the Golkar faction, said that the government should fight hard for the additional visas to accommodate all the 231,000 pilgrims.
She said if these 36,000 could not be accommodated this year, they should be given first priority next year. They should also be exempted from any cost increases.
Meanwhile, many would-be pilgrims in the region have expressed anxiety, not knowing whether they will be able to travel or if they will end up on the waiting list.
The local offices of the Ministry of Religious Affairs have been flooded with inquiries from eager pilgrims demanding to know their precise status and when their flights will depart. (29)