Govt Told to Lobby Saudi Arabia Over Hajj Quota

Jakarta (Antara) - Indonesia should lobby the Saudi government to review its decision to slash Indonesia's hajj quota by 20 percent this year, chief of the Muhammadiyah youths executive board Saleh Partaonan Daulay said. "If necessary, the President can meet the Saudi king. I believe the meeting with the Saudi king will be more effective than writing a letter to him," he said here on Saturday. Daulay who is also chief of the foreign commission at the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) said the meeting will also show that the Indonesian government is more serious about resolving its hajj quota problem. Saleh said assigning Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali to make the lobby will not be effective as he will most likely be met by a ministerial-level official or even director general-level official. "If that is the case, don't expect too much the Saudi government will approve our request," he said. With the existing quota, many would-be hajj pilgrims have been on the waiting list until the next few years. This means that if the quota is slashed the waiting list will grow even longer, he said. Religious Affairs Minister Suryadarma Ali said earlier the Saudi government has cut Indonesia's hajj quota this year by 20 percent or 42,200 pilgrims from 211,000 to 168,000 pilgrims this year. The cut was contained in the Saudi religious affairs minister's letter dated June 6, 2013 that the quota was cut because of a delay in the completion of Masjidil Haram's rehabilitation. (*)