President concerned about late food supply to RI hajj pilgrims in Arafat
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has expressed concern about the late distribution of food among 200,000 Indonesian hajj pilgrims who are about to perform “wukuf” or the most important rite of the pilgrimage in the Arafat plain in Saudi Arabia.
“The president has instructed Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni and Hajj Leader Tarmizi Taher to take firm and correct actions,” presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng told newsmen here Friday.
The head of state on Friday (Dec 29) morning contacted Tarmizi Taher and Maftuh Basyuni to find out what was actually happening in Arafah.
In the conversation between the president and the minister, it was established that the late food distribution was caused by incompetence on the part of a local catering company.
Andi said to overcome the problem the pilgrims in Arafat were now being provided with food sent from Mecca.
Indonesian hajj officials had also sent instant noodles and dried bread to tens of thousands of Indonesian citizens in the Holy Land, Andi said, adding that the president was paying great attention to how they were doing.
The head of state was continuously monitoring the activities of Indonesian hajj officials in Saudi Arabia assigned to take care of the pilgrims` needs, he said.
According to earlier reports, about 3,000 Indonesian hajj pilgrims who had arrived in Arafah were threatened by starvation because they had not received any supply since Thursday (Dec. 28). (*)
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