"We agreed to form a task force to discuss preparations for next year's Hajj," Qoumas remarked after seeing off the return of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims from Solo Embarkation at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday.
He also submitted several improvement notes, both in terms of implementation in Indonesia and in Saudi Arabia, since both countries are responsible for services to pilgrims.
"The task force will discuss together to anticipate problems that could riddle Hajj pilgrims," he added.
The Religious Affairs Ministry observed that several officers still lacked discipline. Qoumas admitted that the process to discipline over two thousand was a challenging job.
"In future, I make sure that all those involved in the assignment of Hajj services must be disciplined. All must be truly intended to serve pilgrims, and the bonus is to participate in the pilgrimage. Do not reverse it," he emphasized.
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Meanwhile, speaking in connection with Saudi Arabia's service, Qoumas highlighted two areas that necessitated attention, including increasing the number of women's toilets. He said that most Indonesian pilgrims were women that needed to go to the toilet longer than men.
"Women's toilets in Arafah, Muzdalif, and Mina needed to be added," he remarked.
The second point is the service at Masyair that should be advanced since the government of Saudi Arabia had increased the service price.
He vowed to discuss this matter later with the Government of Saudi Arabia. Prior to the formal meeting, Qoumas had spoken about this matter during an informal meeting with the Minister of Umrah and Hajj of Saudi Arabia.
"From what we had experienced, I think the service at Masyair was still lacking and could be better," he added.
He also expressed gratitude to the Government of Saudi Arabia, King Salman, and Prince Muhammad bin Salman. Qoumas believes that the Saudi Government has worked hard to provide services to pilgrims around the world, so any lack in services was still reasonable, he stated.
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Translator: Desi Purnamawati, Resinta S
Editor: Suharto
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