DPR RI demands transparency over reduced Hajj waiting period

The Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) is requesting the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to provide transparent data regarding claims that the average Hajj waiting period has dropped from 26 years to approximately 14 years.

Abidin Fikri, Vice Chairman of Commission VIII, noted that while the reduction is encouraging, the information has only been shared via social media and news reports rather than through official parliamentary meetings. The Ministry reported that after evaluating 5.7 million records, approximately 400,000 invalid data entries were identified and removed to update the waiting list.

Analysts have raised questions regarding the mathematical consistency of this reduction. While the Ministry claims the 14-year figure represents the actual waiting time of pilgrims who have already departed, official portals for certain provinces still show waiting periods around 29 years. Critics point out that even after removing 400,000 invalid entries, the remaining 5.3 million pilgrims against an annual quota of approximately 203,000 would still suggest a much longer administrative waiting period.