No Provision on Infrastructure Project Financing in Haj Contract, Minister Says

Minister for Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin (Photo: Cabinet Secretariat Documentation)

Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin has confirmed that there is no provision in the haj contract that should be signed by haj pilgrim candidates, stating that they should be willing to allow their funds to be used to finance infrastructure projects.

“It is not true. There is no single provision in the contract concerning infrastructure that should be signed by haj pilgrim candidates,” the Minister tweets through his Twitter account @lukmansaiffuddin, Thursday (18/10), in response to questions from netizens.

Meanwhile, the Ministry’s Secretary of Directorate General for Haj and Umrah Management Ramadhan Harisman also confirmed that there is indeed a contract that should be signed by haj pilgrim candidates, but there are no provisions on infrastructure financing.

He added that the contract as regulated in Article 6 Paragraph (2) Law Number 34 of 2014 on Haj Funds Management states that, deposit for Haj Pilgrimage travel fees (BPIH) and the Special BPIH are paid to an account on behalf of the Haj Fund Management Agency (BPKH) as a legal representative for haj pilgrim candidates to Haj treasury through the BPIH Deposit Recipient Bank (BPS).

Ramadhan added that Article 13 Government Regulation Number 5 of 2018 on the Implementation on Law Number 34 of 2018 regulates that early deposit to the BPIH or the special BPIH is added by filling and signing the contract by haj pilgrim candidates.

“The BPKH prepares the contract as one of the requirements for early deposit to haj pilgrim candidates at BPS-BPIH,” Ramadhan said.

The contract, he said, states that there is a provision about haj pilgrim candidates having to deposit early payment for the BPIH/Special BPIH and will give authority or wakalah to the BPKH to manage all funds paid.

“Nevertheless, there is no statement on the contract that specifically states that all the BPIH early deposit funds paid by haj pilgrim candidates will be used to finance infrastructure projects,” he said.

Obligation to sign the contract, Ramadhan added, is necessary to ensure that the haj pilgrim candidates are willing to let the BPKH manage their funds and if there are no contracts, those funds will just be ordinary savings that cannot be managed by the BPKH.

“Since January 2018, haj funds are no longer managed by Ministry for Religious Affairs but by the BPKH. Therefore, managing haj funds including the contracts are within the authority of the BPKH,” he said. (PR of Ministry for Religion Affairs/ES)(HYP/EP/Naster)