By Ajeng Mufadillah)*
Recently there was a polemic in the community about the use of pilgrim funds after the inauguration of the management board of Haj Financial Management (BPKH). A moment later, then came the discourse that the pilgrimage funds could be used for infrastructure development. This problem certainly needs to be more deeply parsed and searched the way out.
Actually, the utilization of Haj funds that reached Rp 95.2 trillion for infrastructure needs has occurred since 2013. Shape, through sukuk instruments. For example, sukuk is used for the construction of the Cirebon-Kroya railway, Manggarai railway, roads, bridges and the construction of hajj dormitories.
As of July 2017, the total number of Haj funds that went into the Sukuk Dana Haji Indonesia (SDHI) instrument reached Rp 36.69 trillion. That is, polemic lately more to the problem of communication between the government and society, especially Muslims. This is because the government seems to want to use the hajj fund, but on the other hand the communication that is established with Muslims is not conducive.
But regardless of the political situation, the use of pilgrim funds still needs to be criticized for being vulnerable to abuse for short-term government purposes. For example, the government can create a derivative rule of haj funds management in the form of Government Regulation (PP) to increase the portion of the pilgrim funds in sukuk instruments.
At the same time, in 2018-2019, the government will aggressively issue new sukuk to cover the budget deficit. This is a very logical anxiety, considering 2018-2019 is the maturity of government debt of Rp 810 trillion. While on the other hand, the government budget deficit trend continues to widen even in the 2017 APBN-P projected 2.92 percent or close to the safe limit of 3 percent.
Learning from experience in Malaysia, the use of haj funds for development is nothing new. Of the total number of Malaysian pilgrims recorded at Rp 198.5 trillion, 9 percent goes to construction / real estate in the form of direct investment. While 17 percent of bond placement is also used for indirect investment in property development / construction. But it should be noted, Malaysia Hajj Tubes do not build Infrastructure as interpreted by the Government of Indonesia at this time, but build a construction / real estate with a high rate of return or return. Malaysian Hajj Tube builds properties that have long-term benefits, such as Tabung Haji Hotel in Keddah and Bay Pavilions in Sydney. Again not build infrastructure, but property.
In addition, the benefits from the management of pilgrim funds in Malaysia are partly returned to pilgrims in the form of subsidies. Data per 2015, for example, reveals that the total cost of hajj subsidy reached Rp 391.9 billion. Initially, the pilgrims in Malaysia paid Rp 53.7 million and then subsidized up to Rp 22.6 million or nearly 50 percent of the total cost. The amount of subsidy funds returning to pilgrims is related to the investment management performance of Tabung Haji which can earn income from fund management up to Rp 40.4 trillion in 2015. While its assets keep increasing in the last 5 years reaching Rp 185 trillion.
The experiences of other countries such as Malaysia provide valuable lessons for the management of pilgrim funds in Indonesia. Therefore, the solution is not to build the infrastructure but the property that the impact can be felt directly for the benefit of Indonesian pilgrims in accordance with the mandate of Law No.34 of 2014 that the purpose of Hajj financial management for “Organizing Hajj more qualified”. For example, for example pilgrimage funds can be used to build hotels or apartments in Makkah that can be used for the benefit of pilgrims so that the cost of pilgrimage can be cheaper. As for the period of Umrah, the property can be used for profit or commercial purposes just to close the hotel / apartment operations.
)* The author is CIDISS Contributor