MALAYSIA AWAITING SAUDI ARABIA'S RESPONSE ON ADDITIONAL 2026 HAJ QUOTA - ZULKIFLI

NILAI, Dec 18 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is still awaiting a response from the Saudi Arabian authorities on its request for an additional haj quota for next year, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan.

He said that any decision to increase the quota rests entirely with the Saudi Arabian government, adding that Malaysia hopes the request will be approved.

“So far, there has been no response, and we are unsure when approval might be received. We can only pray for a positive outcome. What we can assure is that any quota allocated will be fully utilised, including any additional quota if granted,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after officiating the Syariah Crime Among Youth Convention, organised by Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) in collaboration with the Negeri Sembilan Syariah Prosecution Department, here today.

Zulkifli was previously reported as saying that the government expects the number of Malaysian haj pilgrims to increase in the future compared with the current quota of 31,600 allocated by Saudi Arabia, and that Malaysia has submitted a request for an additional quota.

Meanwhile, he said the reduction in the deferral rate of haj offers among prospective pilgrims under the Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) for the 2026 haj season to 18 per cent was the result of various initiatives implemented by TH, including early notification of offers.

He said these measures enabled depositors to ensure sufficient savings, placed greater emphasis on health screening, and provided better guidance on haj preparations, as well as regular updates to prospective pilgrims.

-- BERNAMA