Jakarta, Indonesianpost.com – Vice President Ma’ruf Amin is upbeat about the Government of Saudi Arabia increasing the Hajj quota for Indonesia due to the high level of enthusiasm among Indonesians to partake in the pilgrimage.
Amin conveyed the wish while receiving the visit of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Indonesia Faisal Abdullah H. Amodi at his official residence here on Monday (February 27), according to the vice president’s spokesperson, Masduki Baidlowi.
“The vice president is hoping for (an increase in) the Hajj quota. (It is) because in Indonesia, the enthusiasm for Hajj is extraordinary,” Baidlowi said in a statement conveyed online on Monday.
He said that Indonesia, as a country with the largest Muslim population, is facing a problem regarding the Hajj pilgrimage queue wherein there is a region whose Hajj waiting time reaches up to 40 years.
“That is (why) the vice president then expressed his hope to the Saudi Arabian ambassador (regarding) how Indonesia’s quota can continue to be increased in the future,” he added.
According to the spokesperson, the ambassador said he would convey the vice president’s wish to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“Even though it is known that the people’s interest in Hajj is high in various countries, including Indonesia, I think Indonesia’s hope as a country, with the biggest Muslim population, will be given serious consideration,” Baidlowi said.
At Monday’s meeting, the vice president also expressed hope for an increase in Saudi Arabia’s investment in Indonesia.
Amin noted that Saudi Arabia’s investment in Indonesia had tended to decrease in the last three years.
In response to this, Ambassador Amodi said he would do his best to strengthen relations between both nations.
On January 8, Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas and Hajj and Umrah Minister of Saudi Arabia Tawfiq Al-Rabiah inked an agreement on Indonesia’s 2023 Hajj quota in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In a press release issued on the date, Qoumas stated that a Hajj quota of 203,320 was allotted for regular Hajj pilgrims and 17,680 for special Hajj pilgrims. Thus, this year, the total quota for Hajj pilgrims is capped at 221 thousand.