Indonesia is reviewing a new formula for splitting hajj costs between pilgrims and the state, finance.detik.com reports, as officials say the country's waiting list for the pilgrimage has fallen sharply.
According to detikNews, President Prabowo Subianto asked that hajj expenses not place a heavy burden on pilgrims, and Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar said the government is working out the formula. The proposed split under discussion is 52:48, finance.detik.com reports.
Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak said the waiting period for Indonesian pilgrims has been cut from 49 years to 14 years, according to Kompas.com and CNBC Indonesia. Kumparan.com reports that Prabowo also directed an audit of how hajj funds are managed.
The reports, published on Monday, did not detail how the reduced waiting time was calculated or when the new cost formula would take effect.
The waiting list and the cost structure are closely linked in Indonesia, where a large Muslim population and limited annual quotas have historically pushed departure dates decades into the future. Any change to how costs are shared affects both the state budget and what individual pilgrims pay.
What to watch next: the final cost-sharing ratio and the outcome of the financial governance audit.
