Tangerang – President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, stated that he is not yet satisfied with the current Rp4 million (approx. USD 250) reduction in the cost of the Hajj pilgrimage. He vowed to continue pushing for even more affordable Hajj expenses to ensure greater accessibility for all Muslims.

“Our government, especially under my leadership, will strive with all its might to provide the best possible service. We will also fight hard to lower the Hajj cost as much as we can,” said Prabowo during the inauguration of the dedicated Hajj and Umrah Terminal 2F at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, on Sunday (May 4).

“Alhamdulillah, we’ve been able to reduce the cost of Hajj by Rp4 million for this year’s 203,000 pilgrims. But I’m not satisfied with just that. I’ve asked for further reductions. We must aim to offer the most affordable Hajj possible—ideally, even cheaper than Malaysia,” he emphasized.

Prabowo has instructed Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar, Head of the Hajj Management Agency Moch Irfan Yusuf, and Presidential Advisor on Hajj Affairs Muhadjir Effendy to work closely together in finding further solutions to bring down the costs.

He also revealed plans to pursue diplomatic avenues with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support this objective.

“I’ve requested a meeting with the leadership of Saudi Arabia. I will discuss Indonesia’s efforts and requests with them directly,” he said.

In addition, Prabowo called on Garuda Indonesia, the country’s primary airline for Hajj pilgrims, to implement more efficient operations. By cutting unnecessary expenses, he believes the cost of Hajj can be further reduced.

“I’ve asked Garuda to improve efficiency by eliminating non-essential elements. Greater efficiency can lead to lower Hajj costs,” he explained.

Prabowo also shared that he has discussed with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) the idea of building a special Indonesian residential compound in Saudi Arabia, which was met with positive response.

He noted that Indonesian pilgrims—both Hajj and Umrah—can number up to 2.2 million annually, with daily peaks of up to 12,000 pilgrims per day.

“This is a massive number—likely the largest in the world. With such a large group, the government wants to provide the best service. We also understand that many of our pilgrims are elderly,” he concluded.