88% Regular Pilgrims, 79% Special Pilgrims Pay Off Hajj Travel Cost During Batch I

On Thursday (30/4), as many as 179 thousand regular pilgrims and 12 thousand special pilgrims have paid off their 1441Hijri/2020AD Hajj Travel Cost (Bipih).

“The payment batch one has closed this afternoon. A total of 179,584 or around  88.33% (regular) pilgrims have paid off the travel costs,” Director to Ministry of Religious Affairs for Domestic Hajj Services Muhajirin Yanis said in Jakarta.

This year’s Indonesia’s hajj quota amounts to 221,000. A total of 203,320 of them are regular hajj quota. This number is divided into four, namely: 199,518 for regular pilgrims, 2,040 elderly pilgrims, 1,512 Regional Hajj Officers (PHD), and 250 KBIHU (Hajj and Umrah Group) Hajj and Umrah Guidance Counselors.

“There are still 21,157 regular quotas and 817 priorities for the elderly that have not been paid off,” Muhajirin explained, adding that until the closing of batch I, none of the PHD and the Hajj Counselors have paid it off.

Due to the remaining quota, Muhajirin said, the Ministry will open the second batch from 12 to 20 May 2020. The second batch is opened for pilgrims who are entitled to full payment by the reason of payment failure due to system in the first batch. In addition, those who have the right to pay off in the second batch are companions to the elderly pilgrims, a merger in mahram (guardian), and pilgrims with disabilities as well as their companions.

“Batch II is also for the PHD and counselors from KBIHU,” he said.

Muhajirin added, in general, the payment for each province was above 80%. Only Maluku Province has the percentage of payment at 79.57%. “In fact, as many as 21 provinces are above the national average of 88.33%,” he explained.

The five provinces with the highest number of payments are West Java (33,969), East Java (29,950), Central Java (27,464), Banten (8,544), and North Sumatra (7,192).

Director to Ministry of Religious Affairs for Umrah and Special Hajj Arfi Hatim stated that as many as 12,822 special pilgrims have paid off the Bipih. The special hajj quota amounts to 17,680 people, consisting of 16,305 pilgrims and 1,375 officers.

“It means, 78.64% of the 16,305 special pilgrims have paid it off,” Arfi said, adding that batch II of the payment will be opened from 12 to 20 May 2020.

As in the previous year, the Ministry also open up payment for special pilgrims with reserve status reaching 4,785 pilgrims. “As of today, 2,167 special pilgrims have paid it off with reserve status,” he concluded. (Ministry of Religious Affairs PR/EN)

Translated by: Fairuzzamani Inayatillah
Reviewed by: Yuyu Mulyani