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REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — The Team of Republika.co.id, came face-to-face with Minister of State-Owned Enterprises who is also the general chairman of the Sharia Economic Society (MES), Erick Thohir, to discuss the development plan of Indonesia Hajj Village in Saudi Arabia.
To Team Republika.co.id, Erick said, it is one of President Prabowo Subianto's big visions to improve services for Indonesian pilgrims and umrah pilgrims.
In his popular vision, according to him, President Prabowo has focused not only on health, education, and basic needs of Indonesian people, but also how to serve Muslims by building Indonesian Hajj Village.
According to Erick, the President has always emphasized the importance of serving one's own nation well. According to him, the Hajj village, which will be built only 400 meters from the Masjid al-Haram, will ensure that all the needs of worshippers, both spiritual and physical, can be met efficiently.
“This Hajj village is indeed his vision, he ensures how we provide all the facilities for Umrah and Hajj services when worshiping there. But it also needs deep efficiency,” said Erick in Jakarta, Sunday (10/8/2025),
Erick said the integrated facility also has the potential to depress the cost of Hajj in the coming years. One is by reducing the length of time worshippers stay in Saudi Arabia through the efficiency of booking flights and accommodation.
He pointed out that if the duration of the hajj, which is usually more than 20 days, can be reduced, it will certainly have an impact on reducing costs. “Well if this can be reduced, this will also reduce costs,” he said.
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In addition to efficiency, the existence of Indonesian Hajj Village is expected to be able to build an economic ecosystem involving products and services from Indonesia.
Erick highlighted the fact that although Indonesia is the largest sender of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims in the world, 221,000 pilgrims a year, many of Saudi Arabia's consumer products are imported from other countries.
"We shouldn't be the largest Umrah and Hajj pilgrims, with 1.5 million Umrah pilgrims, but the products behind them are made in Thailand, Malaysia, or Vietnam," said the Chairman of the Danantara Supervisory Board.
In terms of financing, according to Erick, the Indonesian Hajj Village will be supported by the national Islamic financial system.
Erick mentioned that Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) and Bank Syariah Nasional (BSN) will be the backbone of Hajj and Umrah payment services, including visa and administrative integration with Saudi Arabian authorities.
"Looking at the Islamic financial sector, we also have a backbone, a supportive backbone for Umrah and Hajj in the future. I think this is a good solution for the payment system and other things," he explained.
He also touched on improvements to domestic facilities, such as the inauguration of Terminal 2 at Soekarno-Hatta Airport as a dedicated terminal for Hajj and Umrah. This terminal is equipped with a large-capacity mosque, integrated immigration facilities, and a comfortable waiting area for pilgrims and drop-offs.
"Now, if you look at Terminal 2, it has adequate facilities. Even for pick-up, there are other facilities. We have a 3,000-square-meter mosque," said Erick.
He also emphasized that the Indonesian Hajj Village project is not solely the work of the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises, but rather a synergy across ministries, including the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Transportation, and the Ministry of Finance, as well as the support of the Hajj Organizing Agency (BP Haji).
"So, the President is encouraging us, his ministers, to work together and be united. The Hajj Organizing Agency, the Minister of Religious Affairs, the Minister of Transportation, and the Minister of Immigration. So, we're becoming a team," said Erick.
