Prabowo Is Set To Visit Saudi Arabia To Negotiate For An Increased Quota For Hajj In 2025

Dok. Biro Pers Sekretariat Presiden

Prabowo Is Set To Visit Saudi Arabia To Negotiate For An Increased Quota For Hajj In 2025

Thursday, 09 Jan 2025

President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia at the end of January 2025. Marwan Dasopang, the Chairman of Commission VIII of the House of Representatives, stated that Prabowo's visit aims to negotiate for additional quotas for Indonesian hajj pilgrims this year. "He is supportive of the plan to request additional quotas, and he will schedule the trip. Certainly, both the pilgrims and we in Commission VIII hope that the President will address this matter with the Saudi authorities regarding the additional quotas," Marwan remarked at the Presidential Office on Tuesday. He explained that the additional quota is necessary due to the waiting period for regular hajj pilgrims in the country, which has reached 25 to 30 years.

In some areas of South Sulawesi, the waiting time can extend up to 48 years.

He conveyed this lengthy waiting period to Prabowo during their meeting. "We informed President Prabowo that the psychological situation of our pilgrims is concerning, as the waiting list has exceeded 5 million," he stated. The prolonged waiting time is exacerbated by the high number of elderly pilgrims. Marwan noted that many elderly prospective pilgrims are anxious about their ability to perform the hajj after such a long wait, particularly if they do not meet the health requirements (istitha'ah) before their departure and are subsequently designated as candidates for the current year's hajj.

"For this reason, we requested and implored the President to assure the Saudi authorities that we should continue to receive our quota. Securing this quota would certainly bring joy to those pilgrims who initially felt excluded from this year's allocation," he added. "If there are an additional 10,000 or 5,000 quotas, it would be very encouraging," Marwan emphasized. It is known that Indonesia has been allocated 221,000 hajj quotas for 2025, which includes 201,063 regular pilgrims, 1,572 regional hajj officers, 685 group leaders for Hajj and Umrah guidance, and 17,680 special hajj pilgrims.