Fajarasia.co – The chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, asked the government to ensure that all prospective Indonesian Hajj pilgrims are not hampered by vaccination problems when leaving for the holy land.
“As we know, the government of Saudi Arabia requires a complete dose of vaccine for all hajj pilgrims. On the other hand, there are still quite a number of registered pilgrims who have not received a complete vaccine,” said Puan in a written statement, in Jakarta, Sunday.
For this reason, Puan asked the government to speed up vaccination for prospective pilgrims who have not yet received a complete vaccine.
So far, there have been 89,175 prospective pilgrims who have paid the hajj fees and confirmed their departure.
However, based on data from the Ministry of Health, only 76 percent have received the full dose of vaccination.
“Therefore, this must be accelerated and become a priority. Don’t let it be just because of the vaccine problem, people fail to go to the holy land,” said Puan.
The former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture added that the government also needs to prepare a hajj scheme so that later there will be no obstacles, both in the process of departure, worship in the holy land, and returning home.
This includes health protocols for organizing Hajj during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as vaccinations.
“Health protocols for pilgrims both while traveling and while in the holy land must be prepared as well as possible,” said the chairman of the PDI-P DPP.
Puan said that Muslims in Indonesia have been waiting for a long time to be able to return to the pilgrimage.
Because, for the second year in a row Indonesia has been unable to send Muslims to the holy land because the pilgrimage has been held limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Therefore, this year’s opportunity should not be wasted. The government must prepare as well as possible so that people who have been waiting for this pilgrimage can worship optimally,” he said.
Puan has also asked Commission VIII of the DPR to continue to closely oversee the government’s work in organizing the 2022 hajj.
“The House of Representatives’ Commission VIII must ensure that all stages and preparations are really thorough, in terms of health workers, accommodation, and congregants’ consumption,” said Puan.****
