Nickname King Of Silent Answered With Myriad Job List Ma'ruf Aminru

JAKARTA - The Student Executive Board of the Semarang State University Student Family (BEM KM Unnes) criticized Vice President Ma'ruf Amin by calling him The King of Silent.

This criticism was then refuted by the Spokesperson for Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, Masduki Baidlowi by explaining what the former PBNU Rais Aam had done.

Through the Instagram account @bemkmunnes, these students criticized Ma'ruf's role as Vice President. They consider the former chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to nullify his presence in public during the COVID-19 pandemic and cannot fill the void in President Joko Widodo's role.

"In general, people think that Vice President Ma'ruf Amin looks absent and silent," he was quoted from Instagram @bemkmunnes on Wednesday, July 7.

They consider Ma'ruf only as a legitimator of government policies with biased arguments and claims associated with certain identities and religions. "This can be seen in his political statement regarding the halalness of BPJS and Fardlu Kifayyah's law in carrying out the COVID-19 vaccination," wrote BEM KM Unnes.

This criticism was later answered by the Spokesperson for Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, Masduki Baidlowi. He said the criticisms made by students were normal.

Masduki even said Ma'ruf laughed when he learned the nickname The King of Silent was pinned to him.

"(The vice president's reaction, Ma'ruf Amin, ed) is mediocre. The vice president is just laughing," said the spokesman for the vice president, Masduki Baidlowi, to reporters at an online press conference.

He said Ma'ruf was not angry with the nickname. According to Masduki, the Vice President is not someone who gets angry easily, especially when criticized by the public or students.

"No, no. The vice president is not angry. I think it's important to note, our vice president is not the one who gets angry when criticized.

Moreover, the accusations made by the BEM MK Unnes are not true. Masduki said, during his tenure since 2019, Ma'ruf has worked well.

He also reminded that as Vice President, Ma'ruf is not an executor of policies but only as a coordinator as well as helping to do the work delegated by President Jokowi.

All of Ma'ruf's duties, said Masduki, have also been carried out well. "As far as the main tasks and functions are concerned, in my eyes the vice president and the other accompanying team have worked quite well," he said.

So what work has Ma'ruf Amin done?

Masduki said the tasks that Jokowi gave to Ma'ruf were all things related to poverty alleviation, stunting, as well as sharia economics.

Not only that, Ma'ruf also manages the National Committee for Sharia Economics and Finance. According to Masduki, on the committee, Ma'ruf was in charge of developing the halal industry, financial networks, and socializing the sharia economy.

In addition, Ma'ruf was asked to take care of the welfare of the people in Papua. In fact, to carry out this task, Ma'ruf often holds meetings with the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD.

"Even the Vice President has called the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs to go to Papua. Even the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs stated that he is ready to prepare everything from various lines so that everything goes smoothly," said Masduki.

"But then there was a severe COVID-19 condition again like now, then it didn't happen anymore," he added.

In addition, there are many other tasks that Jokowi has given to Ma'ruf, including carrying out bureaucratic reform. "Yes, although there are indeed many obstacles, the Vice President continues to monitor where the road goes and so on," he said.

"It means that the eyewitnesses around saw enough to see that the vice president was working properly," he added.

Even though the public rarely hears statements from Ma'ruf Amin, this is because of his low-profile style. Masduki said that Ma'ruf did not speak much when President Jokowi and the ministers in the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet had explained certain situations.

"If the president and his ministers have spoken, that's enough. That's for example like that," concluded Masduki.