Ma'ruf Amin Receives Wira Karya's Satlayalencana Award In Today's Memory, January 3, 2008

JAKARTA Memories of today, 16 years ago, January 3, 2008, Member of the Presidential Advisory Council in the field of religion, Ma'ruf Amin received the Satyalencana Wira Karya award. The award was given by the government because Ma'ruf as a scholar and state official was considered to have contributed to maintaining religious harmony.

Previously, Ma'ruf was widely known as a famous cleric who was attached to Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). Ma'ruf's existence is not only in the da'wah space, he is able to make his career skyrocket as a politician.

It is possible that the beginning of Maruf's career devoted himself to education and da'wah. He once tried to act as a religious teacher, then a lecturer. The job was done by Ma'ruf with joy.

The work coincided with the active Ma'ruf being part of the Ansor Youth Movement, a part of NU. His activeness in NU is increasingly stable. He was able to be elected as chairman of the NU for the 1968-1976 period of Jakarta. NU was also the stepping stone to devote himself to defending the joy of Muslims in the political arena.

The results were amazing. Ma'ruf was able to show his capacity as a politician when he was elected as a member of the DKI Jakarta DPRD from 1971. Even Mar'uf continued to be active when NU was forced to merge with the New Order into the United Development Party (PPP).

Ma'ruf was then slowly able to be elected as a PBNU official. He became one of the figures who then asked NU to create a new party in the reform era. A party later known as the National Awakening Party (PKB).

He acted as an advisor to PKB, a position that was able to open up new traces of his political career, from serving as a member of the MPR and then the DPR RI. However, Ma'ruf's activeness in politics did not make his life run as a preacher back and forth. Ma'ruf continues to be active in many religious containers.

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), one of them. His position as a cleric and official made the government under the era of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) attracted. Ma'ruf was also one of the people chosen as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council in the field of religion.

Then, he made a breakthrough by crossing from PPP to the National Awakening Party (PKB). This decision led him to become Chairman of Commission VI of the DPR. He also had time to sit as a member of the MPR. In the long period of 2001-2007.

"He focused on MUI, as Chairman of the Fatwa Commission and the National Sharia Council. Then, in 2007, Ma'ruf Amin was appointed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council (Watimpres) from the ulama element until 2014," explained AR Shohibul Ulum in the book Kiai Ma'ruf Amin (2018).

The career track made the government not only amazed by Ma'ruf's performance. The NU cleric is predicted to be a figure who is able to unite Islam and maintain religious harmony. This fact is implied in the fatwas he worked on with other ulama at MUI.

As a form of contribution, the Indonesian government then gave Ma'ruf Amin the Satyalencana Wira Karya award on January 3, 2008. The award was handed over directly by the Minister of Religion, Muhammad Maftuh Basyuni at the 62nd Bhakti Charity Day Tasyakuran of the Ministry of Religion in Jakarta. Later Ma'ruf will be known as Deputy President of Indonesia to accompany Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in 2019-2024.

Because of Ma'ruf Amin's great services which are very influential in Indonesia's development. especially his active role in maintaining religious harmony in Indonesia, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia has awarded him the Satyalencana Wira Karya award in Presidential Decree Number 001/TK/2008.

The Satyalencana Wira Karya award is a sign of honor given by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to its citizens who have given great service to the state and nation of Indonesia so that they can be role models for others. The government confers the Satyalancana Wira Karya to Ma'ruf Amin along with 11 other interfaith figures," explained Saifuddin A. Rasyid in his friends in the book KH Ma'ruf Amin: Father of the Indonesian Sharia Economy (2023).