KPK wants ministry out of haj program

JAKARTA. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has recommended that the Religious Affairs Ministry stop operating the haj program and instead focus on regulations.

The KPK issued the recommendation after meeting with the new religious affairs minister, United Development Party (PPP) politician Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, who visited the KPK on Tuesday to seek advice on the graft-tainted haj program.

“We suggested the ministry be transparent when managing the haj quota. Places freed up by death or illness must be given to other pilgrims who have often been waiting years,” deputy chairman Busyro Muqoddas said after the meeting.

Lukman was sworn in as the new religious affairs minister after his predecessor Suryadharma Ali resigned due to being implicated in graft at the ministry.

Suryadharma has been charged with corruption for allegedly using haj quotas to fly dozens of falsely registered Indonesian Haj Organizing Committee (PPHI) representatives — reportedly his relatives, colleagues from the ministry and members of the House of Representatives — to join him on a haj pilgrimage.

In the press conference, Lukman defended the ministry’s haj quota policy.

Lukman said argued that not all prospective pilgrims were ready to replace those who had died or were ill.

“In most cases, the seats are returned to the ministry because some of the eligible pilgrims were not registered for the same year as those whose seats became free,” he said.

In the meeting, Lukman also said that he would focus on improving the management of the haj fund, which totals Rp 80 trillion (US$6.77 billion).

“We are thinking of requiring each prospective pilgrim to set up their own bank account to store their initial haj payment,” he said.

Each pilgrim is required to pay a deposit of Rp 25 million to be placed on a waiting list for the pilgrimage. That money is stored and managed by the ministry. Currently, there are nearly 2 million people on the waiting list. Last year, around 168,800 people went to Mecca for the haj.

In January 2013, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) published a report indicating that over the last eight years, there were extensive irregularities in the pilgrims deposit fund.

Lukman also said that he would support the KPK’s investigation into the haj program graft case.

“It’s just my second day as minister. If you ask me about my commitment, sure, I will support the KPK. After this I will go back to my office to hold a meeting with officials to discuss the KPK’s insights,” Lukman said. (Haeril Halim)