Government still reviews cost for 2023 Hajj pilgrimage: Jokowi

Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated that the cost of the 2023 Hajj pilgrimage was still under review, and a final verdict had yet to be reached.

“The cost of pilgrimage is still in the review process. It has not been finalized and still in the calculation process,” he noted after inspecting the Ciliwung River construction project in Jakarta, Tuesday.

He stated that the government is still proposing the amount of expenses for the pilgrimage trip, which will be discussed along with the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) before being determined.

Earlier, the Ministry of Religious Affairs proposed that the average cost of the pilgrimage in the 1444 Hijriah/2023 AD is Rp69,193,733 per person, higher than the cost of the 2022 pilgrimage that was set at Rp39,886,009 per person.

At a joint working meeting with Commission VIII of the DPR RI on January 19, 2023, Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas explained that the average cost of the proposed Hajj pilgrimage includes 70 percent of the proposed average Hajj Pilgrimage Cost (BPIH) of Rp98,893,909 per person.

He said that the proposed BPIH value in 2023 has increased by Rp514,888 as compared to the previous year due to a significant change in the composition of BPIH.

According to Qoumas, the formulation of the new BPIH component is implemented to balance the pilgrims’ burden with the continuity of the value of the benefits of managing Hajj funds in the future.

“In our opinion, the most logical way to maintain the funds in the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) is with our offering,” the minister remarked.

In addition, the Indonesian Hajj quota for 2023 has been set at 221 thousand based on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the Indonesian and Saudi Arabian governments on January 9.

“The quota for Indonesian pilgrims consists of 203,320 regular pilgrims and 17,680 special pilgrims,” Qoumas stated.

The quota for regular Hajj pilgrims is planned to include 84,608 pilgrims that postponed their trip in 2020, some 9,864 pilgrims that deferred their trip in 2022, and 108,847 pilgrims who have not completed their payment.

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