Appointed As Minister Of Religion, Chairman Of GP Ansor Gus Yaqut: Innalillahi, I Have Never Had A Dream

Chairman of the GP Ansor Yaqut Cholil Quomas (Gus Yaqut) (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Chairman of GP Ansor Yaqut Cholil Quomas (Gus Yaqut) said inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun (in fact we belong to Allah and everything returns to Allah) when he is told that he must accept the mandate as Minister of Religion replacing Fachrul Razi.

"Asalamualaikum alhamdulilahi rabiul alamin inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun. Ladies and gentlemen, when I first received the news that I had to accept the mandate as an assistant to the President and Vice President in this cabinet as Minister of Religion, of course what I felt was shock, ”he said at the Veranda Istana Merdeka, Jakarta, as reported by Antara, Tuesday , 22 December.

The man who was born in Rembang, January 4, 1975, admitted that even in his wildest dreams, he never imagined that he would become Minister of Religion.

But whatever the mandate that has been given, he states that he is determined to donate his entire life and what he has for the nation and state.

"And by chance now getting the opportunity through the Ministry of Religion, I will do what is best for this nation and country," said the alumnus of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UI.

Gus Yaqut said that after officially becoming Minister of Religion, the first thing he wanted to do was make religion an inspiration, not an aspiration.

"What does it mean, that religion is no longer used as a political tool as much as possible, either to oppose the government or to seize power or perhaps for other purposes," he said,

According to him, religion is better left to inspire and bring values of goodness and peace in the life of the nation and state.

He wants to increase ukhuwah Islamic, ukhuwah "wathoniyah", and ukhuwah "basyariyah" in Indonesia.

"If this is done, I am sure that in the future Indonesia will be much more peaceful and the development that has been conveyed by several ministerial candidates earlier will run more easily to be realized," he said.

On the other hand, the PKB politician also wants to advance education within the Ministry of Religion, including encouraging Islamic boarding schools to be more capable of producing the nation's best cadres.

"I ask for blessings to all ladies and gentlemen of Indonesia so that I can carry out this mandate as well as possible, istikamah in kindness and of course bring progress to the nation and state," he said.