Hajj Costs Increase by IDR 30 Million, Chairman of Committee III DPD RI: It’s Too High, BPIH Structure should be Recalculated

24 January 2023 oleh admin

JAKARTA, dpd.go.id - Chairman of Committee III DPD RI, Hasan Basri urged the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) to reconsider the proposed increase in the Hajj Pilgrimage Cost (BPIH) in 2023.

This is because the increase in Hajj Travel Cost (BPIH), which reached IDR 30 million, was considered burdensome for the community. The BPIH proposed by the Ministry of Religion is IDR 98,893,909 or an increase of IDR 514,888.02.

Meanwhile, the BPIH charged to pilgrims this year reached IDR 69,193,733 or an increase of IDR 30 million per congregation from IDR 39.8 million in 2022.

The total fees charged to prospective pilgrims reach 70 percent of the total BPIH. Meanwhile, the other 30 percent of the value of the benefits of managing the Hajj funds is IDR 29,700,175.

Responding to this, Chairman of Committee III DPD RI Hasan Basri considered that the proposal submitted by the Ministry of Religion was too high and would definitely burden the community.

"If there is a sudden change in the name of Istitoah it will be very detrimental to pilgrims who will depart this year because they have to prepare additional funds of around IDR 30 million in a short time. For the majority of prospective pilgrims who have had to save for years, the rate is quite high," said Hasan Basri.

"The Ministry of Religion must recalculate in detail the cost structure of BPIH. Savings can be made in every detail of the cost structure," explained Hasan Basri.

Senator from North Kalimantan, Hasan Basri also questioned the increase in BPIH made by the Ministry of Religion this year. Because this was done when the Government of Saudi Arabia adopted a policy this year to reduce the cost of the Hajj package, both for domestic and foreign pilgrims.

Hasan Basri also assessed that Indonesia's BPIH should not need to increase because the number of pilgrims is the largest in the world.

"If there is an increase of IDR 30 million as proposed by the Ministry of Religion multiplied by the regular hajj quota of 203,320 people, the congregation money that has been collected is IDR 14.06 trillion," explained Hasan Basri.

"In addition to the benefits of hajj funds managed by BPKH of Rp5.9 trillion, the total funds used from congregational funds are more than Rp. 20 trillion per year. There is another cost for organizing the hajj from the Ministry of Religion's APBN of Rp1.27 trillion and the Ministry of Health of Rp283 billion," he continued.

Therefore, he considers the proposal to increase BPIH unwise. Hasan Basri also recommended the Ministry of Religion to recalculate and rationalize budgets that were too high. Such as Living costs, tickets, and others.

“The proposal submitted is not wise, and needs to be recalculated. Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic has just slumped and subsided so that people are still trying to get their economy moving again. On the other hand, currently there is a Hajj Finance Management Agency/BPKH which manages Hajj finances," said Hasan Basri.

Hasan Basri assessed that the presence of this agency should be able to increase the value of the congregation's savings funds.

"The higher the value of the benefits obtained, the more it will lighten the burden on the congregation to cover the costs of the pilgrimage," he said.

Furthermore, Hasan Basri also said that the current BPKH had not shown adequate performance.

According to him, the management of congregational savings is not much different from before this agency existed.

Therefore, he felt that it was natural for someone to question the management of hajj finances entrusted to BPKH.

If it continues to be raised, he is worried that there will be an assumption in society that Hajj funds are used for infrastructure development.

"In social media, there have been many people who have said that. They said the cost of the pilgrimage was used for infrastructure. The BPKH and the Ministry of Religion should have answered and provided clarification. Let it be clear and more transparent," said Hasan Basri.

Hasan Basri also emphasized the need for an audit of the management of hajj funds, which currently reaches IDR 160 trillion.

According to him, it is necessary to ensure that the funds placed in various investment platforms can truly provide optimal value for prospective Indonesian hajj pilgrims.

"The results of this audit also allow for the emergence of options for optimizing haj benefit funds, either in the form of investment or otherwise," he concluded. (**)