COST OF HAJ PILGRIMAGE BY APPROVED TRAVEL AGENTS

The following Question stood in the name of Mr Hawazi Daipi -

Mr Hawazi Daipi: To ask the Minister for Community Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) what is the average cost of going on the haj pilgrimage for the coming haj season; (b) whether the cost is too high, considering that airlines have lowered their airfares; and (c) how the Islamic Religious Council (MUIS) ensures that approved travel agents which provide haj packages do not profiteer, especially at a time when workers have been called to make sacrifices by accepting wage cuts.

Mr Ahmad Mohd Magad (Pasir Ris): Question No. 6, Sir.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: The cost for the haj pilgrimage for the coming season, excluding airfare, ranges from about $4,400 to $6,650. These are based on quotes sent in by 28 travel agents or GSAs. The lower range of $4,400 is actually lower than the lower range last year. If you include the airfare, the packages will range between $6,710 and $8,960.

The airfare for a return trip from Singapore to Jeddah by Saudi Airlines or Singapore Airlines has not changed for the last two years and most Singapore pilgrims travel by these two airlines.

MUIS's role in haj matters is regulatory and supervisory. It ensures that there are sufficient approved travel agents to provide competition, and that the services offered by these travel agents are delivered as promised. It also sends a medical team to look after the pilgrims while they are in Saudi Arabia. However, it does not determine the prices offered by the travel agents. Travel agents have to compete among themselves to offer their best prices and services to travellers. Several years ago, MUIS requested travel agents to offer budget economy packages to cater to cost-conscious pilgrims, but they were not popular. This year, in response to MUIS's request for travel agents to offer economy packages, one travel agent is offering an economy package which affected about 100 pilgrims out of 3,000.

Mr Ahmad Mohd Magad (Pasir Ris): Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether GSAs have not been granted approval to date, as a result of having breached MUIS's guidelines or standards and, if so, how many over the past few years.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, over the past three years, four established GSAs were not granted approval to manage haj pilgrims for one or more of the following reasons:

(a) financial mismanagement;

(b) deviation from the haj tender package;

(c) poor performance; or

(d) not in accordance with the tender specifications. In other words, what they submitted are not in accordance with what we specify in the tender.

Mr Ahmad Mohd Magad: Sir, is there a large number of withdrawals in the upcoming haj as a result of the economic crisis?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, from the numbers that we got from the travel agents, 173 out of 3,000 who registered for the 1999 haj withdrew their applications due to economic reasons.