Ansory Siregar, Deputy Chair of DPR’s Commission VIII — which oversees the Religious Affairs Ministry — said that Kazakhstan was one of the countries approached during the lobbying effort.
"Two months ago, during Commission VIII’s visit to Kazakhstan, we found that they hadn’t used their full Hajj quota. We persuaded them to lend the unused portion to Indonesia," Siregar said during a working visit to monitor Hajj facilities in Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra, on Friday.
According to Siregar, Kazakhstan used only 45,000 of the 95,000 Hajj slots granted by Saudi authorities in the last pilgrimage season. He argued that the 50,000 unused slots should be redirected to Indonesia rather than left unutilized.
In addition to Kazakhstan, Commission VIII also approached neighboring countries like the Philippines to secure a portion of their unused Hajj quotas.
"Based on our calculations, Indonesia could potentially receive an additional 3,000 Hajj slots from the Philippines," he added.
These efforts, he emphasized, are crucial to addressing Indonesia’s long Hajj queue, which currently averages 35–40 years. In Bantaeng, South Sulawesi, the waiting period can stretch to 48 years.
Meanwhile, Ichsan Maulana, an expert staff member at the Indonesian Hajj Organizing Agency (BPH), also underlined the urgency of solving the Hajj queue problem.
"The Hajj waiting list is a serious issue that requires coordinated efforts," Maulana said.
BPH is set to fully take over the national Hajj organization starting with the 2026 Hajj season. Maulana said the agency welcomes any evaluations or suggestions to improve the system.
Related news: KPK highlights longstanding issues with Hajj quota distribution
Related news: Indonesia gets additional quota of 2,210 Hajj officers: Minister
Translator: M Zulfikar, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Anton Santoso
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
