LEMBAGA Tabung Haji (TH) will bear the cost of the haj visa for all Malaysian pilgrims following the Saudi Arabian government’s imposition of a new charge of 300 riyals (RM326) for each visa issued in the 1441H/2020M haj season.

This is estimated to involve RM10 million, TH Haj senior general manager Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman said, adding he believed that the decision to impose the charge was made by the Saudi government based on the various services rendered to haj pilgrims from all over the world each year.

“I want to make it clear that TH will bear the cost of haj visa of 300 riyals for each Malaysian pilgrim. If we want to apply for visa to enter a foreign country, of course there will be a charge. I’m sure there is a reason for the Saudi government to impose this new charge.

“What more with the outstanding services and facilities that (Saudi Arabia) has made available for every guest of Allah to come and perform their pilgrimage and get a mabrur haj each year,” he said.

Saleh said this after appearing as a guest speaker on Bernama Radio’s Malam Ini talk show and Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme, which discussed current challenges in haj management, recently.

Saleh, who is also the head of the Malaysian Haj Delegation, said the new charge was introduced after the Saudi Arabian government abolished the 2,000 riyal charge imposed on repeat pilgrims.

On January 22, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mujahid Yusof Rawa said he was informed of the change during his recent meeting with Saudi Arabian Haj and Umrah Minister Mohammad Saleh Taher Benten on issues related to the management and preparation of pilgrims from Malaysia for the 1441H haj season.

On the cost of performing the haj, Saleh gave his assurance that the cost for Malaysian pilgrims will remain unchanged for the time being, but in view of the rising overall costs each year, TH may look into the issue later to ensure its survival as the fund manager for 9.4 million depositors.

“If we look at 2009, the cost of performing the haj was only RM12,600, but last year, it jumped steeply to RM22,900. But, we still maintain the haj assistance, and pilgrims registered under TH need to only pay RM9,980. 

“The rising haj costs overall is indeed a big challenge for us. It is high time for us to look into this because, while we wish to keep providing world-class services, the rising costs continue to be a challenge.” 

On the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) for last year’s haj management, Saleh said it reached 90% for the 1440H haj season.

“For me, that’s very high, because we are operating in a foreign country, our customers (pilgrims) were mostly the elderly who may not have travelled overseas before, but we were able to manage them well and they expressed their satisfaction through that very high index,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said 600 staff, including 250 doctors and medical personnel, as well as haj guides, counsellors and staff from the National Registration Department, will be involved to ensure the smooth running of this year’s haj operations.

A total of 31,600 Malaysian haj pilgrims will be performing their pilgrimage this year compared with 30,200 last year. 

The increase of 1,400 pilgrims in the quota was a result of discussions between the governments of Malaysia, through TH, and Saudi Arabia to reflect the increase in Malaysia’s population.

The selected pilgrims are expected to receive their haj offer letter in stages from Tuesday. – Bernama, January 26, 2020.