Jakarta, wapresri.go.id – Vice President (VP) K.H. Ma’ruf Amin revealed that one complaint of Indonesian pilgrims when performing the hajj was the distance between the mabit (overnight) location and the jumrah throwing location in Mina. For this reason, the VP hopes that the tents of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims in Mina can be moved closer to the location of the jumrah throwing.

“It would be very wise if the placement of these pilgrims was closer to the jamarat (location for throwing the jumrah),” said the VP when receiving a visit from Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah Affairs Tawfiq Fawzan Muhammed Alrabiah, at the Vice President’s Palace, Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan No. 6, Central Jakarta, Wednesday (26/10/2022).

One of the reasons, according to the VP, is that many Indonesian pilgrims are elderly, so their physical condition is not as strong as those of pilgrims from other countries who are relatively young.

“They (Indonesian pilgrims) feel from the mabit location too far from jumrah,” he said.

Aside from the mabit locations, the VP also asked the Saudi government to seek additional hajj quotas for Indonesia and hoped that the pilgrims would not be constrained by the age limit.

“We have a lot of pilgrims and those who queue up to 41 years. Because of that, we will be very happy if our hajj quota is increased because of a very special problem for Indonesia,” asked the VP.

“There are even those who have waited a long time and some are already old, so it becomes a problem if there is an age restriction. Because the queue is long, then when they get it they cannot [go] because of the age limit,” he added.

Responding to the VP’s request, Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Affairs Tawfiq Fawzan promised to follow up.

“I promise in front of the honorable Mr. Vice President, after I return from here I will immediately discuss the placement of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims in Mina,” he stated.

Although it may not be possible for the entire pilgrims, continued Tauwfiq, he will try as much as possible.

“The placement of Indonesian pilgrims in Mina, we are very concerned about, but we also have to admit that Mina is a very narrow and small place, so we have to think about it to be able to fulfill what is expected,” he stated.

For that, said Tawfiq, the Saudi Arabian government is currently looking for a solution so that Mina can accommodate more pilgrims, including by trying to penetrate the mountains there.

“The mountains in Mina are difficult to penetrate, but we will try. Then at least we will pay special attention to the Indonesian pilgrims in order to get a comfortable and proper place,” he promised.

Tawfiq added that the Government of Saudi Arabia continues to strive to provide the best service to Indonesian pilgrims, not only because of the large number but also because of the very close relationship between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

“The government of Saudi Arabia is focused on providing the best service for pilgrims, especially from Indonesia, in viewing that the relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Indonesia is very strong,” concluded Tawfiq.

Present to accompany the Minister of Hajj and Umrah Affairs of Saudi Arabia were the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Indonesia Esam A. Abid Althagafi, Deputy for Foreign Cooperation of the Ministry of Hajj Hasan Al-Munakhirah, and the Personal Secretary of the Minister of Hajj and Umrah Affairs of Saudi Arabia Albariqi Ahmed Hayazi M.

Meanwhile, the VP was accompanied by Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Head of the Vice President’s Secretariat Ahmad Erani Yustika, Director General of Hajj and Umrah Implementation at the Ministry of Religion Hilman Latief, Deputy for Human Development Policy Support and Development Equity Suprayoga Hadi, and Special Staff for the VP Masduki Baidlowi. (NN/LHS, BPMI – Setwapres)