RI to launch massive haj operation today
RI to launch massive haj operation today
JAKARTA (JP): Four wide-bodied jets will depart almost simultaneously from Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, and Ujungpandang this morning, while another will take off from Balikpapan on Wednesday evening, as Indonesia begins the massive task of transporting 195,000 citizens to Saudi Arabia for the haj pilgrimage.
This year's contingent will be the largest sent on the haj to date, being 23 percent larger than last year's 164,200, which was also a record.
The national carrier Garuda Indonesia, appointed to take the pilgrims, has leased 20 wide-bodied jets for the purpose, including 10 Boeing-747s, six MD-11s, and four DC-10s, and has also assigned four Boeing-747s from its own fleet.
The haj pilgrims, booked on 502 different flights, will depart from five ports of embarkation between today and May 2.
Halim Perdanakusuma airport in Jakarta will accommodate the departure of 110,500 people on 259 flights, the Polonia airport in Medan 17,500 people on 41 flights, the Juanda airport in Surabaya 41,500 people on 116 flights, the Hasanuddin airport in Ujungpandang 18,000 people on 73 flights, and the Sepinggan airport in Balikpapan 4,500 people on 13 flights.
The official farewell ceremony will be held this morning at Halim Perdanakusuma airport. Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher, who is the Amirul Haj (chief of the contingent) this year, will be present at the ceremony, which will coincide with the departure of the first group.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs, which is coordinating the entire operation, said that a total of 231,000 people have registered and paid for the pilgrimage. However, the ministry said that so far it has only secured accommodation for 195,000 people, including 3,000 officials, airline crew, and escorts. One-hundred-and-ninety-five thousand is the quota set by the Saudi Arabian government for Indonesia.
Tarmizi said that the Indonesian government was still attempting to persuade the Saudi authorities to allow all of the 231,000 people registered make the haj pilgrimage this year.
"I will hold another meeting with the Saudi Arabian Minister of Religious Charity and Haj Affairs, Dr. Mahmud Muhammad Safar, to discuss an additional quota," he said, as quoted by Antara last week.
He had earlier warned intending pilgrims against trying to circumvent the government operation by making their own private arrangements, saying they would be denied entry to Saudi Arabia.
He was referring to people who planned to travel on ordinary green passports instead of the brown passports issued especially for the government haj trip.
Regarding the 36,000 people still on the waiting list, Tarmizi said the government had offered to return their money in full or to put them on the list for next year's pilgrimage and exempt them from any fee increases.
Chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI), Hasan Basri, has urged the 36,000 people to remain patient and unemotional.
"Any irregular efforts to obtain haj permits will only have a negative impact on the holiness of the religious service," he said over the weekend.
He said there would be advantages in making the pilgrimage next year.
"The climate will be cooler and some of the buildings, designed to accommodate the pilgrims in comfort, which are currently under renovation, will be completed and ready for use next year," he said, adding that the improved buildings would protect the pilgrims from the heat.
Last year 638 of the 164,200 Indonesian haj pilgrims died in Saudi Arabia, mostly as a result of the heat. Seven pilgrims died during a stampede in the town of Mina.
Hasan said that, by next year, there would also be a special road from Arafah to Mina for Southeast Asian haj pilgrims.
Merpati Nusantara Airlines has announced that it will increase its flights to help carry the haj pilgrims to their ports of embarkation.
"We will increase the flight frequency from the cities of origin to the five ports of embarkation to 629 times (the normal frequency) between April 4 to 29," Merpati's marketing manager, Ibrahim Hamid, said on Friday.(imn)