To Prevent Bias And Noise, MUI Asks To Be Involved In Compiling Indonesian History Dictionary

Head of MUI Study and Research Sector Debt Ranuwijaya (left), MUI Secretary General Amirsyah Tambunan (center), and MUI Wasek General Arif Fahruddin MA (right) / Antara

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has asked the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbud Ristek) led by Nadiem Makarim to be involved in the preparation of the Indonesian History Dictionary (KSI), especially regarding Islamic content.

"Requesting the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia and all public policy makers to consult with MUI. This is to avoid bias and public noise," said Head of the MUI Study and Research Division, Utang Ranuwijaya in a press conference that was monitored virtually, reported by Antara, Monday, May 31

This MUI statement is a response to the polemic of the KSI arrangement which has eliminated traces of the founder of Nahdlatul Ulama Hadratus Syekh Hasyim Asy'ari and a number of other religious figures.

Director General of Culture, Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology, Hilmar Farid, had confirmed that KSI volume I was never officially published. According to him, the book was compiled before Nadiem Makarim's leadership and there has been no refinement or publication plan.

According to Debt, based on the MUI study, there are allegations of some kind of conflict of interest and left and right ideologies from certain parties. So that names appear that represent them and ignore moderate Islamic figures.

"Writing the history of the Indonesian nation has an important and strategic role as a basis for instilling national values and love for the homeland. So the writing must be objective and based on facts," he said.

Meanwhile, Secretary General of MUI Amirsyah Tambunan said that the non-objective writing of the history of the Indonesian nation will continue to cause pros and cons in society.

"So it is feared that it could weaken the unity and integrity of the nation and could affect the sustainability and safety of the Indonesian nation and state," he said.

Therefore, MUI takes the attitude that the KSI book must be withdrawn from circulation and revised again by accommodating MUI in the writing committee. With the aim that Islamic figures and organizations who have contributed greatly to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia are no longer wasted in the writing of history.