"We will implement the principle of fair and sustainable financing," director general of Hajj and Umrah implementation at the ministry Hilman Latief,said in a written statement issued on Tuesday.
The ministry will seek a proportional Hajj cost formulation, he informed. This is necessary amid the increasing cost of Hajj pilgrimage implementation.
Latief said that the principles of fairness and continuity are essential because currently, there are around 5.2 million prospective pilgrims who are waiting for their turn to perform the pilgrimage.
"We will formulate the figure (cost) with our partners in Commission VIII by considering various aspects. Hopefully, we can get a good figure for the pilgrims and all," he added.
This year, Saudi Arabia has set a high cost for services at Masyair for Hajj pilgrims from across the world, including Indonesia, he informed.
He said the cost of the pilgrimage will be adjusted. There are several factors that will cause the Hajj cost to increase, including the cost of services at Masyair, which has increased since 2022, as well as the prices of raw materials, transportation, accommodation, taxes, and inflation.
The Indonesian government has been allotted a quota of 221 thousand for the 2023 Hajj pilgrimage.
Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas and Hajj and Umrah Minister of Saudi Arabia Tawfiq Al-Rabiah inked an agreement on Indonesia's 2023 Hajj quota in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday (January 8, 2023).
Qoumas informed that a quota of 203,320 has been allotted for regular Hajj pilgrims and 17,680 for special Hajj pilgrims.
He said that during the meeting with Minister Al-Rabiah, it was agreed that there would be no age limit for Hajj pilgrims this year.
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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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