Indonesian Hajj

Food Supply Still Sluggish
Tuesday, 02 January, 2007 | 15:24 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Director of the Hajj and Umroh Management at the Religious Affairs Department, Ilyas, said that all hajj pilgrims from Indonesia have received food since Sunday (31/12). Starting yesterday (1/1), the pilgrims have also received compensation of 105 riyal from Anna catering company which was negligent in serving the pilgrims.

Muchtar explained on the first day of wukuf in Arafah the pilgrims should have obtained four meals and three meals in Mina. “Each meal costs 15 riyal, so the total is 105 riyal,” he said when contacted by phone yesterday.

The pilgrims’ condition, he said today is well. He said that in the hajj season last year, on the same day in Arafah and Mina, the number of pilgrims who died was 30. Now, from the report he received from the health team, the number of pilgrims who died is only two.

Regarding the news that many pilgrims fainted because they did not eat, Muchtar said it could be true. However, during the hajj season last year, when there was not any problem with food, there were also pilgrims who fainted. “So the cause can be varied,” he said.

Zulfahmi Muslim, a pilgrim from Bekasi , acknowledged that during Mina in the last two days he obtained food. But the supply is still sluggish. “It is often one or two hours late,” he said when contacted by Tempo.. Due to the delay, the pilgrims fighting over the meal when it was distributed was unavoidable. “They became chaotic,” he said.

A hajj officer at the Saudi Arabia Media Center acknowledged food service for all bureaus and pilgrims was not optimum. He cited the data of pilgrims at bureau 24 through 47 is not good so some have obtained meals and some have not. “We’re having difficulty obtaining information from the field because of a bad telephone signal,” he said.

Regarding the compensation fund amounting to 105 riyal, Zulfahmi acknowledged he did not know about it. “I haven’t received any announcement and I don’t hope too much,” said a pilgrim of embarkation 34 who arrived in Mecca. He confirmed that the food supply in this city is smooth.

Ninin Damayanti, Dian Yuliastuti and Sudrajat