Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The House of Representatives` Commission VIII overseeing religious affairs has urged the Ministry of Religious Affairs to cut the 2010 hajj pilgrimage cost based on its proposal.

"We hope the ministry will agree to our proposal which we are going to discuss in a hearing on Wednesday," Commission VIII chairman Radityo Gambiro said here on Tuesday.

He said so far hajj pilgrims had been paying high fees to travel to Mecca and back but how the money was actually used and for what benefits had remained unclear. All kinds of cost are being borne by pilgrims whereas there are actually components which should be borne by the state.

Gambiro said his commission had found many reasons for pilgrimage cost to be made efficient so that it could be lowered and made more affordable by would-be pilgrims.
He said the funds for the online Integrated Hajj Computerization System (Siskohat), for example, should not be borne by hajj pilgrims.

"We can understand if the government says it has not enough funds for that but it would also be illogical if all of the hajj cost components are borne by hajj pilgrims. We hope that hajj pilgrimage costs be partly borne by the government," he said.

Gambiro said that there were at least 27 cost components that needed to be improved by the Ministry of Religious Affairs so that the burden of pilgrims could be reduced.
"We have noted at least 27 cost components can be improved so that the hajj pilgrimage could be made more efficient and its cost lowered," he added.
(Uu.A014/HAJM/H-YH/P003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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