Government to Increase Haj Costs

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The figure has been agreed and will be issued as a Presidential Decree, Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni told reporters yesterday (22/7). The decree will be issued in the next one or two days so that pilgrims can begin making their payments within a week. According to Maftuh, the government made this decision due to the increase in flight fares and world oil prices. He went on to say that the increased prices will be different based on the 12 points of embarkation. Embarking from Aceh and Padang will cost US$3.258, from Medan and Batam US$3.292, from Solo and Palembang US$3.379, from Jakarta and Surabaya US$3.430, and from Banjarmasin, Balikpapan, and Makassar US$3.517. The Rupiah components are increased to Rp501.000 from the previous Rp400.000. The cost for organizing a Haj pilgrimage (BPIH) for special Haj groups has also gone up by US$500 and a minimum fee of US$5,000 has been set. The BPIH components consist of a flight fare of around US$1,859 (54 percent), operational costs in Saudi Arabia of US$1,528 (44 percent), and domestic operational costs of Rp501.000 (1.6 percent). Maftuh stressed that the BPIH increase is wholly because of the increase in flight fares, while the living costs during a Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia has only gone up a little. The minister said that this year the government will use Garuda Airline and another one airline from Saudi Arabia. However, starting next year, the government will tender the 11 embarkation points to more airlines. AQIDA SWAMURTI