Minister Of Religion Suryadharma Ali Denies Isbat's Session Spending IDR 9 Billion In Memory Today, July 9, 2013

Suryadharma Ali, who served as Minister of Religion from 2009-2014. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA Memories of today, 11 years ago, July 9, 2013, Minister of Religion (Menag), Suryadharma Ali denied the Isbat Session funds to determine the beginning of the month of Ramadan reaching Rp9 billion. Surya revealed the funds used were less than Rp1 billion.

Previously, the General Chairperson of PP Muhammadiyah, Din Syamsuddin, criticized the government for wasting money on the Isbat Session. Din considers that the government does not need to hold an Isbat Session and it remains only to announce the beginning of Ramadan with contemporary methods.

The polemic of determining the beginning of the month of Ramadan that is different often occurs between Muhammadiyah and the Indonesian government. Muhammadiyah usually uses sharia arguments and scientific principles to support the determination of the beginning of Ramadan.

Muhammadiyah puts forward two criteria. The first criterion is ijtima or conjunction, namely seeing the sun and the moon in a straight line. It happens as a sign the moon ends. The second criterion by observing the afternoon when the sun sets, the moon is still above the horizon or any horizon, that's the hilal.

The General Chairperson of Muhammadiyah, Din Syamsuddin, said that with the two Criteria Muhammadiyah could find out the beginning of fasting for another 1,000 years. Din also regrets that the Indonesian government is still holding a determination of Ramadan by holding an Isbat Session.

This condition was completely criticized. Din considers the government's efforts to hold an Isbat Session deliberation - determining the beginning of the month of Ramadan as a pemoborosan.

The trial was also expensive to reach Rp9 billion. The government is also advised not to need to hold the Isbat Session and just immediately announce the determination of the beginning of Ramadan. This option is so that the government can save a lot of funds and use it can be transferred to other sectors.

Criticism from Din met. All Indonesians only found out that the Isbat Session took a large amount of money. The pros and cons attitude is unavoidable. Many think that large funds should be diverted to other activities in the month of Ramadan.

"Right now, there are not two degrees of height in the month when the sun sets, we should just state it. Because it is not fulfilled, there is no need to hold an isbat meeting, which he said is very expensive, the budget is up to Rp. 9 billion, that's people's funds."

"Instead of spending people's money. Because Muhammadiyah is sure of this scientific belief," said Din at the Muhammadiyah PP Building, Jakarta, as quoted on the Merdeka.com page, July 8, 2024.

Minister of Religion Surya also spoke up on July 9, 2024. He revealed that the Isbat Session using large funds up to IDR 9 billion was not true. The funds used for the Isbat Session were only less than IDR 1 billion.

The amount or size of the funds considered by Surya is actually not a problem. This is because the determination of the beginning of Ramadan is considered a major event that all Muslims have been waiting for throughout the archipelago. Surya believes that the government's efforts to present the Isbat Session are always eagerly awaited by the Indonesian people.

Surya considers that the Ministry of Religion needs to decide the beginning of Ramadan with a forum. This condition is because if the Ministry of Religion decides to unilaterally bring in protests from here and there.

"The cost of Rp9 billion is not true. Yesterday the cost of eating was only large, there was no Rp1 billion. "The Rp9 billion fund compared to its interests is small," said Suryadharma, as quoted on the page, Kompas.com, July 9, 2013.