Hajj delegation runs into storm

The Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs, which has been shrouded in corruption has allegedly defied instructions by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to revise the five-member official delegation to be sent to Saudi Arabia to make arrangements for the forthcoming Hajj Pilgrimage.

The initial five-member delegation, comprising Minister A.H.M. Fowzie (head of delegation), S. Alavi Moulana (Governor of the Western Province), Y.L.M. Navavi (Director, Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs), Rizmy Riyal and M.R.M. Farook (two Hajj Travel Operators) was asked to be revised to include Deputy Minister of Environment Faiszer Musthafa and former Deputy Mayor of Colombo Azath Salley amidst allegations of corruption.

It is learnt that the President had wanted Musthafa and Salley added to the delegation as there had been complaints that hajj operators were charging exorbitant rates and were not providing the duly promised accommodation and food to the pilgrims. The delegation was also asked to request an enhanced allocation of a 5,000 visa quota for Lankan Hajj Pilgrims from the current 2,500.

“Y.L.M. Navavi was asked to revise the list of delegations to include the two new members. However, he defied instructions and instead made phone calls minutes before departure claiming not to know of the change,” said an official. “He then proceeded to leave to the Kingdom on May 11 with Fowzie after which Alavi Moulana followed the next day. The two operators were omitted from the list and neither were the new members included.”

Deputy Mayor Azath Salley left for the Kingdom to join the current delegation last week. However, Deputy Minister of Environment Faiszer Musthafa who was supposed to be part of the delegation returned on Friday without taking part in meetings with officials in Saudi Arabia.

“These approved officers of the initial delegation had been to hajj more than five times in the past claiming the full allowance of Rs. 450,000 each year, whilst only giving the pilgrims a meagre allowance in Saudi,” added the source. “In the meantime, the current mechanism to send pilgrims to hajj from Sri Lanka is so unregulated that many people have misused this to go for business as opposed to allowing hundreds of willing Sri Lankans the opportunity to perform Hajj.”

It is said that hajj operators currently claim more than Rs.400,000 to send a pilgrim on a five-day pilgrimage to Makkah and Medina, while others have said the pilgrimage could be done for much less.

Y.L.M Navavi is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka with the rest of the delegation on (17). 

source http://www.nation.lk/2010/05/16/news4.htm