Ulemas asked to help improve haj management

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto has asked ulemas and members of Moslem organizations to help the government improve the haj pilgrimage operation next year by providing suggestions and criticisms.

Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher said after meeting with Soeharto yesterday that the government would be "approaching" experienced ulemas for comments regarding the service provided to pilgrims during this year's haj season, which ended last week.

"President Soeharto asked that Moslem organizations give the government comments about the sending of pilgrims in 1996, both positive and negative," he said.

At yesterday's meeting, Tarmizi reported to Soeharto about this year's haj pilgrimage operation which, he admitted, had encountered some "minor complications".

During the first week of the pilgrims' departures in April, thousands of people booked on the first flights turned out not to have visas from the Saudi Arabian embassy.

The operation to bring home the pilgrims, however, was considered more of a success.

Because of the departure problems, "all officials involved in the haj pilgrimage had vowed that the operation to bring the pilgrims home, which lasted from May 15 to June 12, would proceed safely and smoothly," Tarmizi said.

Tarmizi said that President Soeharto had thanked King Fahd of Saudi Arabia and all of his officials who, he said, had made every effort to serve the pilgrims well.

Some three million Moslems took part in the pilgrimage to Mecca this year. Indonesia sent approximately 195,000 pilgrims, in accordance with the quota allocated by the Saudi government. Some 40,000 pilgrims registered for the trip were unable to make it, after the ministry of religious affairs failed in negotiations about raising the Indonesian quota.

Tarmizi said that 540 Indonesians had died during the pilgrimage, mostly as a result of illnesses they left home with.

He said that the number of deaths was lower this year than last year, which saw the death of 640 members of the Indonesian haj contingent of 165,000. In percentage terms, he said, this year's fatalities represented 0.27 percent of the total number of pilgrims, as compared with 0.42 percent last year.

Tarmizi made no mention yesterday of reports that Indonesia's flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, intends to seek compensation from the ministry for the 5,896 empty seats which resulted from the April glitches.

The empty seats reportedly cost Garuda Rp 18 billion (US$8 million).

Garuda added 14 extra flights to Jeddah during this year's haj season.

On a related topic, Tarmizi spoke of the ministry's plan to send lecturers from the State Institute of Islamic Studies to study at McGill University in Canada for a period of six years.

He said the ministry intended 45 of the lecturers to gain masters degrees and eight to gain doctorates.

The ministry also has plans to send some teachers from the institute to a number of countries in the Middle East, he said. (swe)