By: Dwiki Irawan )*
Lukman Hakim Saifuddin as Minister of Religion took the time to arrive in Saudi Arabia, to check and ensure the readiness of the 2019 Hajj. After arriving in the Holy Land, Lukman immediately held a meeting at the Hajj office located in the city of Jeddah.
The meeting was attended by Director General of Hajj and Umrah (PHU) Implementation Nizar, Indonesian Consul General Jeddah Moh Herry Sarifudin along with his staff. Then the Secretary of the Directorate General of PHU Ramadhan Harisman, Director of Foreign Hajj Services Sri Ilham Lubis, as well as Technical staff for Hajj Affairs along with his staff.
“I am grateful that the progress of providing services for pilgrims in Saudi Arabia is almost 100 percent complete,” Lukman said in Jeddah.
He also gave an appeal for the preparation of the Hajj to be monitored.
“I ask for the preparation of this service to be escorted and monitored so that in time it can run smoothly,” he said.
In the meeting session, Lukman also specifically highlighted two main points. First, services that are given annually to the congregation, such as accommodation, consumption, transportation and health.
Second, the service that was first held this year requires concentration and serious handling.
“Arrangement of baggage from the airport to the hotel pilgrimage needs to be prepared carefully. For example, what if the baggage arrived at the hotel first? Or if the baggage arrives later at the hotel, how long does it take to wait. This must be socialized to the congregation so that they are not disappointed, “he said
The meeting also discussed the categorization of suitcases based on color. Luqman requested that the handling procedures be prepared from the start, including if there was a baggage of the pilgrims being escorted to another hotel.
The meeting also discussed the issue of tent numbering at Armina. If this has been done by Muassasah, this year the numbering and placement of pilgrims in the Arafah tent is carried out by the Ministry of Religion. “Clear tent identity is needed, based on group, team and group,” Lukman ordered.
Provision of fast track services also needs to be anticipated, especially for the second wave of pilgrims who landed in Jeddah. They need to be conditioned to dress in ihram from the country because there is not enough time for the congregation to change their Ihram clothes at the airport as immigration services are getting faster.
With this fast track service, pilgrims can save time on arrival at the destination airport for about half an hour to 1.5 hours. Because, the pre departure cleareance process or inspection of immigration documents, such as visas and passports, have been carried out since at the airport of origin of the congregation.
This year, there are two embarkations that receive fast track services. Jakarta Embarkation – Pondok Gede (JKG) and Jakarta – Bekasi (JKS) embarkation, whose congregation departed from Soekarno – Hatta Airport. The congregation from this embarkation came from three provinces, namely Lampung, Jakarta and West Java.
“The provision of ready-to-eat food at 8 Dhulhijjah during the day and 9 Dhulhijjah at night must also be ensured the packaging and technical presentation. Anticipation is also needed if there is a delay in food distribution, presumably what steps need to be taken, he pleaded.
The Minister of Religion also asked the Saudi Hajj Organizing Committee (PPIH) to anticipate the pilgrimage buildup at the Syib Amir Makkah terminal, ahead of the peak of Hajj.
In addition, the Indonesian Government has also formed Indonesian Hajj officers who are in charge of providing the best service to the congregation. Ranging from accommodation, transportation to health services.
Especially in the health sector, the government has prepared the Indonesian Hajj Health Clinic (KKHI) in Medina. This clinic is managed by officers from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes).
Even according to health workers such as nurses and doctors use electronic-based applications to report activities on their respective flight groups.
In addition, the congregation will also get services that have never been felt by prospective pilgrims in previous years, namely lodging zoning based on embarkation and the province.
All of these preparations are certainly a form of innovation aimed at serving the congregation.
After all, the Hajj is something that many people dream of in Indonesia, not a few of the pilgrims who try to set aside part of their fortune for savings go to the holy land. So that the Government has a role to provide supporting facilities that can meet the basic needs of pilgrims.
)* The author is a sociopolitical observer