Pilgrimage without Tabung Haji possible but highly risky

 The quota for Malaysia this year has been set at 22,320 people, with more than two million pilgrims in total going to Saudi Arabia last year. – Reuters pic, May 17, 2015.Aside from having to pay three times the amount, Malaysian Muslims going to Mecca for the haj (pilgrimage) without going through pilgrims fund, Lembaga Tabung Haji also risked having their trips cancelled at the last minute.

Former Tabung Haji general manager Datuk Md Daud Che Ngah said this option was usually picked by the very rich who want to perform the haj more than once.

(Haj is a pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of Zulhijjah in the Islamic calendar and considered obligatory for every Muslim who is capable of undertaking it at least once in his or her life)

This is because Tabung Haji, the government-linked fund which manages the savings and haj for almost all of Malaysia’s Muslims, prioritises on first-time pilgrims due to yearly quotas set by the Saudi Arabian government which limit the number of people who can go every year.

Pilgrims typically pay about RM10,000 for a Tabung Haji trip, while those going on their own would have to fork out at least RM35,000, said Md Daud, who has had 20 years experience managing the pilgrimage.

Md Daud said there are also cases of families who want to sponsor their elderly parents who have registered with Tabung Haji but who have not been called up.

“Sometimes there are cases where they are already 65 years old but still have not been chosen. So the family decides to fund them,” said Daud, of the an annual affair that sees more than 20,000 Malaysian Muslims leaving for Mecca.

Tabung Haji has been in the spotlight recently due to a controversial land deal worth RM188.5 million involving debt-laden 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

It was reported that the uproar over the deal had caused some depositors to withdraw their savings from the pilgrimage fund’s branch in Shah Alam on May 8.

Following the public outcry, the pilgrim’s fund announced that it is selling the 0.64 ha piece of land in the Tun Razak Exchange for a RM5 million profit.

Md Daud said between 1,500 to 2,000 individuals opt for the non-Tabung Haji route every year but many do not make it despite already paying large sums of money to agents.

“Some get stranded at the airport because there are no flights available or their visas were not approved, yet they have already paid RM30,000 to RM40,000 for their trips,” Md Daud told The Malaysian Insider.

“The agencies that offer these options usually have connections in Saudi Arabia. But it is very high risk as there is no guarantee that the trips would materialise.”

Md Daud said these trips would usually be done at the last minute, when the agencies have secured a special deal in Saudi Arabia, sometimes two weeks before the plane leaves.

The minimum price for such a trip is RM35,000 as the cost to process a visa, without going through Tabung Haji, is RM15,000.

“You cannot go lower than RM35,000. RM15,000 is only for the visa and does not include other costs such as the flight ticket, accommodation, transport in Mecca and food.”

In comparison, Tabung Haji pays the visa processing costs for its pilgrims.

According to the fund’s website, the cost for a haj trip this year is RM17,270, of which RM7,290 is borne by Tabung Haji. The remaining RM9,980 has to be paid by the pilgrim.

Md Daud said since 2000, Saudi Arabia has tightened its visa rules and pilgrims can only get a visa from their home countries.

Due to the increasing number of pilgrims every year and to prevent over-crowding, the Saudi Arabia sets a strict quota for each country.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom announced that this year, the quota for Malaysia has been set at 22,320 people.

According to an International Business Times report in Oct 2014, the Saudi Arabia hosted two million pilgrims last year.

Before 2000, it was still possible to perform the pilgrimage by going through another country’s quota Md Daud said.

“It’s almost impossible to do it now since the people in those countries want to use their quotas as well.”

- TMI