Vice President Ma'ruf Amin Asked Baznas To Be More Professional And Efficient In Managing Public Funds

Ma'ruf Amin's Vice President Spokesperson, Masduki Baidlowi, at the Vice President's Office in Jakarta. (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin asked the National Zakat Agency (Baznas) to be more professional and efficient in managing social funds belonging to Muslims.

"The vice president hopes that Baznas can be more professional and more efficient so that it is right on target in managing people's funds," said the spokesman for the vice president, Masduki Baidlowi, as quoted by Antara, Thursday, April 22.

As an institution that has the authority to manage zakat funds nationally, Baznas must uphold transparency and accountability regarding who gives zakat and what zakat is distributed for.

Regarding the plan to cut the salaries of the state civil servants (ASN) for tithing to Baznas, Masduki said that the Vice President submitted the study to the team that had been formed.

"There has been a team formed from several related ministries and the Vice President has asked the team to finish immediately and hopefully it will be completed soon," he explained.

Meanwhile, the head of the Indonesian Civil Service Corps (Korpri), Zudan Arif Fakrullah, agreed with the plan to cut civil servants' salary for tithing to Baznas, as long as it is voluntary and there is transparency in its management.

Zudan emphasized that cutting ASN's salary for zakat is a form of volunteerism so that ASN can register itself to be willing to give zakat to Baznas through their salary.

"It cannot be like in the past during the New Order era, there was the Pancasila Muslim Charity Foundation (YAMP), all Rp1,000 were cut. We must maintain the state's authority that this country no longer enforces it like it used to," he said.

In addition, Baznas must also be transparent in managing zakat, among others by reporting the value of the discount and the allocation of zakat distribution, said Zudan.

"Zakat is worship, if it has to go through Baznas it seems restricted; then (it's best) not to do that. So the solution is that it is voluntary for civil servants," he said.

The proposal for paying zakat from ASN on a wage basis emerged from the wishes of Baznas. Baznas proposed to President Joko Widodo to issue a Perpres so that civil servants, State-Owned Enterprises employees, members of the National Army/Police pay zakat 2.5 percent in deductions from their salaries.