Indonesian President Seeks Shorter Hajj Wait Times; Observers Suggest Quota Lobbying

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has expressed a desire to significantly reduce the Hajj pilgrimage waiting time, which currently averages 26 years. This ambition presents a considerable challenge for the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenhaj).

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With this new city distribution method by Kemenhaj, the average wait time has actually been cut, which is quite a reduction from the previous long queues. However, the President still feels it needs to be shortened further. This actually reflects the public's hope that the waiting line is still considered long.

Mustolih Siradj, a Hajj observer from Komnas Haji, believes that in the short term, the most viable approach is for the Indonesian government to lobby Saudi Arabia for an increased Hajj quota. He noted that Kemenhaj's current method of distributing quotas has already reduced the average wait time from over 40 years in some regions to 26 years, which is an improvement. However, the President's call for further reduction reflects the public's ongoing concern about the lengthy queues.

Siradj explained that increasing Indonesia's quota is heavily dependent on Saudi Arabia's policies, as the kingdom faces its own capacity limitations, particularly in the Makkah and surrounding areas. He suggested that Indonesia could request a special quota increase, similar to the 20,000 additional slots received in 2024, provided it is managed transparently.

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In the short term, perhaps the most that the Ministry of Religious Affairs can do is to specifically ask the Saudi government for an additional quota, as was received in 2024, amounting to 20,000. Provided, of course, that it is managed well according to our regulations so as not to cause controversy.

For long-term solutions, Siradj pointed to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which includes plans to expand the capacity of the holy sites. If successful, these projects could eventually accommodate up to five million pilgrims annually, potentially shortening wait times for countries like Indonesia. However, the realization of these expansions remains uncertain.

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I think if this is realized, the impact will be...