"We thank the Saudi Arabian government because, with the additional quota, we will reduce the number of long queues," he said in Ternate city, North Maluku, on Friday.
He conveyed this after attending the "Strengthening Development and Empowerment of Village Communities Towards Indonesia Free from Stunting and Extreme Poverty” event in Ternate city, North Maluku.
Indonesia has received an additional Hajj quota of 8 thousand pilgrims, which has been included in the e-Hajj system, Saudi Arabia's visa application system, he informed.
"Regarding the distribution of the Hajj quota, the Religious Affairs Ministry will distribute it fairly to the regions, but the important thing (is that we) do not waste the additional quote like we did last year with 10 thousand quotas," he said.
During last year's Hajj implementation, Indonesia had received an additional quota, but due to the very limited time window, the government had decided not to use it.
"So now, it is time to make sure everything (runs) properly so it (the quota) can be utilized and can reduce queues," he added.
Amin said that the additional Hajj quota will help reduce the queues of prospective Hajj pilgrims in a number of areas. Moreover, in a number of provinces, the waiting period for Hajj has touched 47 years.
Director general of Hajj and Umrah organization at the Ministry of Religious Affairs Hilman Latief earlier said that there are some preparations that must be coordinated regarding the additional quota, such as the availability of aircraft and flight slots from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia as well as the groups of pilgrims who need to be prioritized in the additional quota.
Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas said that for the additional quota distribution, his ministry must consider which regions have completed the payments to ensure that the quota can be absorbed optimally.
The payment for this year's Hajj pilgrimage was scheduled to close on May 5, 2023. Out of the total of 203,320 regular Hajj quotas, people have not completed or confirmed the payment for 14,356 slots.
Since there are many Hajj pilgrims who have not completed payments, the ministry has extended the time provided to complete the Hajj payment.
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Translator: Desca Lidya N, Resinta S
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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