Offer Haj packages based on length of stay, Ismail Sabri tells Tabung Haji as costs soar

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — Lembaga Tabung Haji (LTH) should come up with a few travel options for Malaysian Muslim pilgrims based on how long they plan to stay in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Bera MP Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.

The former prime minister suggested that these packages could allow more Muslims in the country to fulfil their religious obligation at a time of rising travel costs.

“If this can be done, I believe that many more will be able to fulfil their Haj pilgrimages because many are tied to their work, such as those who are government officers, private sector workers who are forced to take more than 40 days of leave, or those who run businesses,” he said during the debate on the royal address in the Dewan Rakyat.

Citing data from the Muslim pilgrim’s fund, Ismail Sabri said the cost of the Haj has increased from RM25,540 last year to RM31,870 this year.

He said a sharp inflation in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, rising fuel costs and logistic issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as rising taxes were among the reasons driving up the Haj travel expenses.

He added that the more the costs increase, the bigger the financial burden on LTH in subsidising the travel expenses for Muslim pilgrims.

He proposed four travel packages for the pilgrims based on the length of their stay in Mecca: 14 days, 21 days, 30 days and 40 days.

“What worries me is that maybe one day, the B40 and the M40 may not be able to afford to fulfil their pilgrimages,” he said, referring to the bottom 40 per cent and middle 40 per cent of income earners in the country.

He said the four-day package will cover the necessary Haj obligations for Muslim pilgrims while those who opt for the longer packages would be able to visit Medina, another city in Saudi Arabia holy to Muslims.

“If there are four choices, they can make the most suitable choice for their career,” he added.

Ismail Sabri also proposed a review of the Tabung Haji Act 1995, saying many provisions are now outdated.

“For example, there are no provisions for Syariah compliance and governance gazetted in the Tabung Haji Act 1995, even though LTH basically needs to be Shariah compliant,” he said.

LTH executive director Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman said last month that the cost of completing a Haj pilgrimage has gone up to about RM31,000 this year, increasing by about RM2,368 from last season.