PM gives warm send off to first group of haj pilgrims

SEPANG: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today gave the first group of Malaysian haj pilgrims departing for Saudi Arabia a warm send off at the Movenpick Convention Centre here.

The first group of 293 pilgrims will depart for the Holy Land via Saudia Airlines flight SV 5635 at 1.35 pm today from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

Also present were Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad; Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz; Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) group managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Amrin Awaluddin and Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Malaysia Datuk Dr Mahmoud Hussien Saeed Qattan.

The Saudi Arabian government has allocated a haj quota of 14,306 pilgrims to Malaysia this year. Malaysian pilgrims were unable to perform haj for two years, in 20202 and 2021, due to restrictions following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first group of Malaysian haj pilgrims is expected to arrive at the Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah at about 4.55 pm local time.

This year, a total of 48 Malaysia Airlines and Saudia Airlines flights will bring Malaysian pilgrims to the Holy Land, with the last flight on July 3.

TH Haj executive director Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman, who is also the Malaysian Haj Delegation head, in a press conference after the departure of the prospective haj pilgrims, said that they were satisfied with the smooth reporting process for the first flight.

According to him, there were three pilgrims from the first group who found their COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detection test results positive.

"They have informed us in advance and we advise them to go through the processes and procedures set by the Ministry of Health (MOH), which is undergoing a proper quarantine.

"Once they are free from the symptoms, they should obtain advice from the MOH and if the RT-PCR results are negative and the flight is still available then we will try our best to get them the seats to travel to the Holy Land," he said.

Syed Saleh advised prospective pilgrims to take the RT-PCR test 56 hours before reporting at the departure stations and immediately inform TH if the results are positive to enable TH to make plans to help them perform the hajj this year.

A pilgrim who chatted with Ismail Sabri, Azimatul Zamzam Muda, 50, from Kuantan, Pahang, said the prime minister wished her and her husband a 'mabrur' (accepted by Allah) haj.

Another prospective haj pilgrim, Mek Teh Taib, 62, from Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, said she has been waiting for 14 years since 2008 to perform the pilgrimage.

"In 2020, I received an offer to perform haj but during that time we were not allowed to go to the Holy Land.

"This year, when I was offered again. I am very happy, Alhamdulillah. My health also allowed me to go for the trip," said the housewife who was accompanied by her 36-year-old son.

-- BERNAMA