Lawyer for Yaqut Cholil Qoumas Reveals Chronology of Additional Hajj Quota Distribution
Mellisa Anggraini, the legal counsel for former Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, has laid out the duduk persoalan behind the distribution of the additional 2023-2024 Hajj quota, now a corruption case under KPK investigation. According to Mellisa, in 2023 Gus Yaqut proposed that the entire additional quota of 8,000 pilgrims be allocated to regular Hajj, citing the many elderly pilgrims waiting in line after the pandemic. But then there was a push from DPR for some of it to go to special Hajj.
Mellisa pointed to minutes from a Commission VIII DPR meeting on May 22, 2023, which suggested a split of 92 percent regular and 8 percent special. That decision was made because special Hajj doesn’t tap into BPKH’s benefit value funds, unlike subsidized regular Hajj. Some DPR members from five factions reportedly pushed for this.
As for the additional 20,000 quota in 2024, Gus Yaqut only found out when President Jokowi announced it on National Santri Day, October 22, 2023. That quota was the result of the President’s request to the King of Saudi Arabia and was intended for all Indonesian Hajj pilgrims, both regular and special.
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