August 24, 2025 | 08:24 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Chair of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission VIII, Marwan Dasopang, has disclosed that the Saudi Arabian government has issued an ultimatum to Indonesia concerning the allocation of space in Arafat for the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage. According to the National Awakening Party politician, Indonesia has been given a deadline of August 23, 2025, to confirm its area.
During a working meeting with the Regional Representative Council, which was convened to discuss revisions to the Hajj and Umrah Law, Marwan made the announcement. "We received a letter stating that Indonesia has been given an ultimatum. If the space in Arafat is not secured by the 23rd [of August], the area that Indonesia has been utilizing could be reassigned," Marwan stated on Saturday, August 23, 2025, as reported on the official DPR YouTube channel.
Urgency for the Hajj Law Revision
In light of this ultimatum, Marwan stressed that discussions on the Third Amendment of Law No. 8 of 2019, which pertains to the Management of the Hajj and Umrah, must be expedited. "The pilgrimage process has already commenced in Saudi Arabia," he explained.
To address the ultimatum, Marwan noted that the DPR Commission VIII has agreed to use funds from the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) to reserve the required space. "We held an approval meeting yesterday to use an advance from BPKH," Marwan said.
Proposed Changes to Hajj Administration
The Hajj Bill is one of the legislative drafts included in the national legislative program (Prolegnas) for 2025-2029. With the proposed third amendment to Law Number 8 of 2019, the Ministry of Religious Affairs will no longer be responsible for Hajj affairs starting next year. This authority will be transferred to the Hajj Administration Agency (BP Haji).
The DPR Commission VIII aims to have the Hajj Bill passed in a plenary session on Tuesday, August 26, 2025. Parliament and the government finalized their discussions on the list of inventory problems (DIM) regarding the Hajj Law revision on August 23, 2025. The government had previously submitted a total of 768 DIM points for the Draft Hajj and Umrah Law on August 18, 2025.
During the DIM discussions, one key agreement reached between the government and the DPR was to elevate the status of BP Haji to a ministry. This change would promote the Head of BP Haji to a ministerial-level position.
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