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Norshahril Saat

A'an Suryana

Last month, the Indonesian government created a new ministry to oversee both the annual haj, which is obligatory for Muslims to perform at least once, and the voluntary umrah pilgrimages.
This ministry, established on August 26, is an upgrade and expansion of the former Badan Penyelenggara Haji (Haj Management Agency), formed only last year. The move was unanimously backed by the People’s Representative Council (DPR) and is meant as a solution to long-standing problems with pilgrimage management.
President Prabowo Subianto seems to believe that forming a ministry to oversee the massive annual Indonesian haj operation is the best way forward.
He has appointed Mochamad Irfan Yusuf as its minister and Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak as its deputy. Both are members of his Gerindra Party. Irfan, a grandson of Nahdlatul Ulama’s founder, brings the weight of Indonesia’s largest Muslim organisation, while Dahnil, a Muhammadiyah activist, represents the country’s second-largest.
Their appointments amount to political recognition of Indonesia’s two largest Muslim organisations.

The centralisation of haj and umrah services could, in theory, prevent the scams, excess fees and inconsistent standards long associated with private operators. But consolidation alone will not suffice. The real test lies in whether the ministry acts with clarity of purpose and resists the temptation to move too quickly.
The haj, performed in Islam’s holiest sites of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia during the first two weeks of the Islamic lunar month of Dzulhijah, is the spiritual pinnacle of many Muslims’ lives. With rituals concentrated in just a few days and places – Arafah, Mina, Muzdalifah – crowds are tightly controlled. Saudi Arabia sets a quota for each country to ensure the safety of millions of pilgrims.
Indonesia, home to more Muslims than any other nation, receives the largest quota. It sent 221,000 of the 1.6 million total pilgrims in the most recent haj season. But demand far outstrips supply. Depending on the province, Indonesians can wait between 11 and 47 years for their turn to go on haj.
By contrast, the umrah is not capped by quotas and can be done throughout the year, except during haj season.
The jury is still out on whether creating a haj and umrah ministry can solve these complex problems

Prabowo has long proposed a dedicated state body to manage pilgrimages, dating back to his first presidential bid in 2014. The criticisms have been consistent: corruption, nepotism in quota allocation and frequent failures of service delivery for pilgrims.
The Corruption Eradication Commission is currently investigating allegations that the Ministry of Religious Affairs abused its authority over additional haj quotas granted by Saudi Arabia this year. Under the 2019 Haj Law, 92 per cent of the 20,000 extra slots should have gone to ordinary pilgrims, with only 8 per cent reserved for the so-called Haj Plus scheme run by private operators catering to business and political elites.
Instead, officials allegedly enforced a 50:50 split, effectively handing thousands of coveted places to the well-connected. Former religious affairs minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas and two other officials have been barred from overseas travel as the inquiry unfolds.
This controversy led to much public disappointment. Families who had been preparing to leave for the haj found their allocations taken by these “VIPS”.
Service quality is another chronic weakness. During this year’s haj, many Indonesian pilgrims reported chaos and confusion when travelling between Muzdalifah and Mina. Elderly pilgrims were forced to walk after buses were stuck in traffic. Complaints of limited support staff and poor communication were rife. Adies Kadir, a legislator, criticised the inadequate presence of haj officials, saying that Indonesia’s pilgrims were largely left to fend for themselves.

Against this backdrop, Prabowo’s desire to improve haj management is worthy of praise. But the jury is still out on whether creating a haj and umrah ministry can solve these complex problems. For it to succeed, it must clarify its goals and how it seeks to accomplish them.
Legislators began revising the 2019 Haj Law two years ago. But the plan to elevate the agency to a full ministry appeared suddenly – surfacing only during a working committee session on August 22. In that meeting, a government representative reportedly suggested replacing the term badan (body) with menteri (minister). Legislators then argued it should become a full kementerian (ministry). Four days later, parliament approved the change.
Perhaps the new haj ministry can improve the quality of haj and umrah services for Indonesia’s Muslims by next pilgrimage season.
Growing the country’s bureaucracy further seems to be Prabowo’s solution – his cabinet is already the largest in Indonesia’s modern history.
In the end, the true test will lie in whether this new ministry can deliver real benefits, allowing future pilgrims to navigate their spiritual journeys with greater ease and comfort.
Norshahril Saat is a Senior Fellow and Coordinator at the Regional Social & Cultural Studies Programme, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. A’an Suryana is a Visiting Senior Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute and a lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia. This article was first published by the institute’s commentary website fulcrum.sg.


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The new ministry must overcome a history of corruption and nepotism in quota allocations, with some pilgrims waiting decades to go on haj


The new ministry must overcome a history of corruption and nepotism in quota allocations, with some pilgrims waiting decades to go on haj.


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Prabowo Subianto

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.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The new ministry must overcome a history of corruption and nepotism in quota allocations, with some pilgrims waiting decades to go on haj

The new ministry must overcome a history of corruption and nepotism in quota allocations, with some pilgrims waiting decades to go on haj