Pilgrims applaud as government reduces Price of hajj package

Jakart, NU Online
The government has announced an $80 cut in the price of the state-organized annual hajj package, the first significant reduction in the 12 years since Reformasi, the Jakarta Globe reported.

The long-awaited final price was unveiled by Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali on Wednesday following protracted negotiations with House Commission VIII, which oversees religious affairs.<<>br />
“Last year the average cost of the package was $3,422, while this year it is $3,342,” Suryadharma told the commission to applause and shouts of “Allahu Akbar.”

In April, the government had proposed to raise the cost of the trip by $133.

The ministry will send the proposal to the president for formal approval.

Gondo Radityo Gambiro, deputy chairman of the commission, welcomed the reduction and expressed hope that it would carry over into next year.

The usual Rp 100,000 ($11) insurance fee will also be waived for pilgrims this year.

Indonesia, which is the world’s largest Muslim majority nation, expects to send 211,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for this year’s pilgrimage, including those traveling under the government’s special hajj package (ONH).

Despite the lower fee, the government promises better services, with 63 percent of the pilgrims staying near Haram Mosque and the rest four kilometers away.

Abdul Ghafur Djawahir, secretary of the Hajj Umrah Directorate, said the lower price was achieved through a $58 reduction in air fees and a subsidy of $22 per head.

Abdul said the subsidy may come from the interest on the Rp 1.2 trillion fund managed by the government. The fund was established from the deposits paid by the 800,000 people who had registered for the hajj.

The deposit was set at Rp 20 million last year but was raised to Rp 25 million in March.

The subsidy might also be financed by state Shariah bonds, Abdul said. (dar)