Vice President K.H. Ma’ruf Amin attends the opening ceremony of the 10th National Conference of the Zakat Forum, at the Vice Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday (07/16). (Photo by: BPMI of Vice Presidential Secretariat)
Zakat (alms) is part of the solution to reduce poverty and improve the welfare of the people in the country, according to Vice President K.H. Ma’ruf Amin.
“I am of the view that the zakat movement will overcome the problem of poverty in our society,” the Vice President said at the opening ceremony of the 10th National Conference of the Zakat Forum, at the Vice Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday (07/16).
“The potential for zakat which can reach Rp327 trillion must be optimized so that it becomes an important instrument in the development to achieve social justice in our society,” he added.
The Vice President explained that the potential is equivalent to 76 percent of the social protection budget in the 2022 State Budget. To that end, strategic measures in strengthening zakat governance are important in terms of strengthening regulations to address the challenges and preparing a road map as a reference and direction for strategic policies for zakat management toward the 2045 Golden Indonesia Vision.
“The measures are also important in developing a transparent, professional, and accountable zakat ecosystem so that zakat will make a more significant impact on poverty alleviation,” the Vice President said.
In the meantime, Vice Minister of Religious Affairs Saiful Rahmat Dasuki expressed his optimism that amid the various challenges, Islamic philanthropy will continue to play its strategic role in fair and equitable development and in reducing social and economic inequality.
“We must strengthen synergy and collaboration between the Government, zakat institutions, and all stakeholders in our communities so that we can optimize the potential of zakat to support education, health, economic, and social programs that have a broad impact on our communities,” he said.
For the record, the 10th National Conference of the Zakat Forum is carried out every three years to elect a new chairman. The Zakat Forum, as an association of zakat management institutions, organizes the Conference, with participants from Zakat Management Agencies (BAZ) and Zakat Management Institutions (LAZ) across Indonesia. With a spirit of collaboration, the 10th National Conference of the Zakat Forum is expected to be an important milestone in realizing the vision of zakat as a source of inclusive economic development in Indonesia. (BPMI Vice Presidential Secretariat/DNS) (RI/MMB)
