MINA, 31 December 2006 — A local catering company left thousands of Indonesian pilgrims without food in Mina and Arafat. When thousands of others were praying on the plains of Arafat, they were left to prepare instant food to sustain themselves and perform Haj smoothly, pilgrims said.
They thanked Saudi authorities for their rapid intervention and rectification the situation. “We were getting food from a caterer here but the deliveries from Thursday night until Friday morning did not come,” said Abdur Rehman Wahid.
There was, he said, an arrangement with ANA-Arafah company to supply them food during Haj. “But the company failed in its duty and some of the pilgrims, already suffering due to severe climatic conditions, fainted.”
Saudi officials stepped in and distributed dates and noodles before food supply was restored.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said that the food crisis arose due to non-fulfillment of contractual commitments by the caterer to whom Indonesian Haj Mission had given the contract to provide food supplies to about 200,000 pilgrims.
Indonesian officials had hired the caterer against the ministry’s advice. “The Ministry of Haj had advised the Indonesian mission to make sure about the capacity of the company to provide foods to their pilgrims,” the agency said. Hungry pilgrims frantically thronged vendors and food stalls for food at premium price. When the matter came to the notice of the Indonesian mission in the Kingdom, they held a meeting with the caterer who assured delivery for Thursday but, say the pilgrims, they again failed to deliver.
“Our Ambassador Salim Segaf Al-Jufri and pilgrims leader, former Religious Affairs Minister Tarmizi Taher, held a meeting with the company which agreed to provide food. But no food was delivered until lunchtime Friday,” said Sheikh Abdul Hanafi.
He said that Indonesians were scheduled to go to Arafat on the night of 8th Dhul Hijjah, so the company was told to provide them food at night, then breakfast, lunch and refreshment on 9th Dhul Hijjah. “But it supplied dinner to only about 20 percent of them at 3 a.m. and did not supply breakfast or lunch.”
When contacted, the Ministry of Haj and other ministries sent 15 containers of dry food as immediate relief. “I thank them for this kind and generous gesture,” Al-Jufri said. “Even today the company provided breakfast and lunch to only about 60-65 percent of pilgrims,” he said yesterday.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono immediately dispatched Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni to Saudi Arabia to sort out the problem. The ambassador said that he and Basyuni were to hold a meeting with the company officials and would then cancel the contract.
