KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has formally requested an additional Haj quota from the Saudi Arabian government for next year’s pilgrimage season.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar confirmed that an official letter had been sent to Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Haj and Umrah Dr Tawfiq Fawzan Al-Rabiah.
Malaysia’s current Haj quota remains at 31,600 pilgrims for the upcoming season.
Mohd Na’im made the announcement after attending the Tabung Haji 1446H Haj Season Completion and Corporate Partner Appreciation Ceremony.
The ceremony recognised the contributions of government agencies, private sectors, and corporate partners in supporting the success of the recent Haj operations.
Bernama Radio journalist Nurliyana Farhah Ruslan received special acknowledgment during the event.
A total of 32 corporate partners were honoured for their contributions amounting to RM7.1 million towards this year’s Haj operations.
The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia chief consul Ali Abu Hikmah attended the ceremony representing Saudi Arabian ambassador to Malaysia Mesaad Ibrahim Al Sulaim.
Tabung Haji chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Hussain was also present at the appreciation event.
Mohd Na’im revealed that Tabung Haji will focus on digitalising the passport process for the next Haj season to ensure smoother operations.
The digitalisation initiative aims to significantly shorten passport processing times for Malaysian pilgrims.
Tabung Haji will collaborate with the Saudi government and the Ministry of Haj and Umrah to implement these digital improvements.
The religious affairs minister also announced that Tabung Haji had appointed a new Haj service provider in Saudi Arabia.
This appointment aims to enhance service quality and comfort for Malaysian pilgrims during their spiritual journey. – Bernama
