Government Committed to Realizing a Professional 2026 Hajj

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage is more professional, transparent, and focused on serving pilgrims. The Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Mochamad Irfan Yusuf, stated the statement during a working meeting between Committee III of the Regional Representative Council (DPD RI) in Jakarta, Tuesday, 27 January, 2026.

He further stated that domestic technical preparations have shown significant progress, especially in the sector of paying off the Hajj Pilgrimage Travel Costs. As of the third stage, which closed on 23 January, a total of 209,797 regular Hajj pilgrims had completed their payments, representing 104.07 percent of the available quota.

Besides administrative readiness, Minister Irfan underscored that strengthening the competence of officers is key to the success of this year's event. The Ministry of Religious Affairs is involving the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the Indonesian Police (Polri) personnel in the training process for officers to ensure discipline and physical readiness in the holy land.

Currently, a total of 1,636 prospective hajj officers is undergoing education and training at the Pondok Gede Hajj Dormitory using a semi-military method. "This year's Hajj officers will be more professional in serving the pilgrims. We are relying on special Hajj Officer facilitators, inter-sectoral collaboration between the TNI and Polri, and strengthening the competence of serving in the holy land," Irfan stated.

Another prominent innovation introduced this year is the theme "Women-Friendly Hajj." A concrete step in this innovation is increasing the quota of female guidance officers to 33 percent. This policy was adopted in response to the fact that the majority of Indonesian pilgrims are women, thus requiring more sensitive guidance tailored to the specific needs of female pilgrims.

Regarding accommodation and transportation, the Ministry of Hajj has secured contracts with Garuda Indonesia and Saudi Airlines under a 50-50 sharing scheme. In Saudi Arabia, a total of 178 hotels in Mecca and 100 hotels in Medina have been prepared, complete with catering services that include 84 meals during their stay in Mecca.

"The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of the Republic of Indonesia is fully committed to presenting the 2026 AD Hajj pilgrimage organizers who are more professional, transparent, and focused on the safety, comfort, and improved service quality for pilgrims," he said.

Responding to the presentation, Deputy Chairman of DPD RI Committee III, Erni Daryanti, expressed her hope that the synergy between the executive and legislative branches would continue to be strengthened. The Indonesian House of Regional Representatives (DPD RI) is committed to overseeing the hajj governance to ensure it remains just and dignified.

"We hope that thru this working meeting, stronger policy synergies will be built between implementers, supervisors, and regional representatives in order to realize professional Hajj management that is oriented toward safe pilgrim services," Erni said.