Corruption in Haj Management

UNLIKE other types of corruption, corruption in the haj pilgrimage management involves two wrongdoings in one. Firstly, it harms the state and millions of prospective pilgrims. Secondly, it manipulates the earnest desire of the faithful planning to undertake their obligations according to the fifth pillar of Islam.

The stronger the desire of prospective pilgrims to go to the Holy Land—whether it be for the first time or the latest of many visits—the greater the desire and opportunities for officials to make a profit. This is what has happened with the haj corruption from regime to regime.

Most recently, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has uncovered alleged corruption in relation to the 2024 haj pilgrimage, which has embroiled former Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. The KPK has banned Yaqut, as well as his former special staffer Ishfah Abidal Aziz, and owner of the Maktour pilgrimage travel agency Fuad Hasan Masyhur, from leaving the country.

This alleged corruption began when Indonesia obtained an additional haj quota of 20,000 people, or one percent of the routine allocation of 221,000 pilgrims, from the Saudi Arabia government. According to Law No. 8/2019 on the Organization of the Haj and Umrah Pilgrimages, the quota should have been distributed in line with the agreement previously reached with the House of Representatives (DPR), namely 92 percent for the regular haj and 8 percent for the special haj.

Yaqut circumvented this regulation by issuing Religious Affairs Minister Regulation No. 113 on January 15, 2024, which stipulates the allocation is distributed in proportion: 10,000 places for the regular haj and 10,000 places for the special haj. The KPK concluded that this change was suspicious, especially after discovering that bribes were paid to Religious Affairs Ministry officials responsible for organizing the special haj. The average bribe was US$5,000, or around Rp81.7 million per special haj seat.

But as well as the special haj quota, the regular haj quota was also manipulated. There are indications that the 10,000 additional haj seats were not distributed as they should have been in accordance with the waiting list. Those who wanted to depart sooner had to pay a bribe. As a result, 8,400 prospective pilgrims who had been waiting up to 14 years failed to leave during the 2024 haj season.

A number of illegal practices in the organization of the 2024 haj pilgrimage were discovered by the DPR’s committee of enquiry in September 2024. Their findings were fairly comprehensive, from mistaken policies and chaotic distribution of the haj quota to the ramshackle Integrated Haj Computerization System, which provided opportunities for manipulation of the waiting list. But through lobbying and intrigues, the committee’s findings gradually faded away, until the alleged haj corruption reemerged after the KPK’s discovery of apparent bribery in relation to the quota bribes at the beginning of 2025.

The haj corruption has its roots in the mistaken view that a pilgrimage is like a commodity. The government’s position as both regulator and operator gives it authority that is vulnerable to abuse. At present, the government regulates the quota, decides on the catering and accommodation and manages the haj funds.

Another bad provision is the division of the haj into two classes: regular for ordinary people and special for the rich. This distinction is at odds with the essence of the haj, which prioritizes togetherness, fairness, and equality of all the faithful in the eyes of the Creator. If President Prabowo Subianto does not want these crooked practices to continue, he needs to urgently carry out a comprehensive overhaul of the way the haj is managed. Transferring the authority to organize the haj from the Ministry of Religious Affairs to a new ministry will not change anything unless there are fundamental policy changes.

As a first step, the government could give up its role as operator. As regulator, the government could pass a regulation only allowing people to make the haj pilgrimage once in their lifetimes. This would reduce the waiting time for the regular haj, which currently stands at more than 40 years. It should also end the special haj option, leaving only one type of pilgrimage.

In terms of law enforcement, the investigation should not stop at Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. He must provide information about the involvement of other officials who benefitted from stealing from God’s guests.