Asian Angle | Can Indonesia’s new haj ministry fix its pilgrimage problems?
The new ministry must overcome a history of corruption and nepotism in quota allocations, with some pilgrims waiting decades to go on haj
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.
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.