JAKARTA - The remarks of the Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas who called the Ministry of Religion a 'state's gift' for Nahdlatul Ulama or NU sparked a polemic. At first, in the International Webinar held by RMI-PBNU and uploaded on TVNU's YouTube account, Wednesday, October 20, Yaqut told of a small debate in the ministry when discussing the issue of the Ministry of Religion. He then revealed that he had a desire to change the logo or tagline of the Ministry of Religion 'Ikhlas Beramal'.
"I said, there is no sincerity, how come it is written like that, the name is sincere in the heart, how sincere is it written, yes this shows that it is not sincere. Sincere to do charity is not good, it's not right when I say it," said Yaqut.
According to him, at that time the debate continued about the history of the origin of the Ministry of Religion. Yaqut said there was one ustaz who at that time did not agree that the Ministry of Religion should overshadow all religions.
"There are those who disagree, 'This Ministry must be the Ministry of Islamic Religion' because the Ministry of Religion is a state gift for Muslims. For NU'. So it's only natural that now NU is taking advantage of the many opportunities that exist in the Ministry of Religion because the prize is for NU," said Minister of Religion Yaqut. correct his statement. "The MPR recommends (Yaqut, ed) to correct his statement," said MPR Deputy Chair Arsul Sani.
Furthermore, the MPR leader from PPP explained that the Ministry of Religion was indeed led by Islamic leaders, but its formation was also communicated with nationalist figures. Both inside and outside the sessions of BPUPK Indonesia and PPK Indonesia.
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), said Arsul, did have a role in the formation of the Ministry of Religion. However, he said, it cannot be simplified that NU is the only one that can 'occupy' the Ministry of Religion.
"It is wiser for us to say that the establishment of the Ministry of Religion is a blessing and the result of the struggle of Islamic leaders in the era of independence," said Arsul.
The first minister was indeed an NU figure, namely Wahid Hasyim. However, added Arsul, the position of the Minister of Religion was also taken from a Muhammadiyah figure.
"The first Minister of Religion in Soekarno's Presidential Cabinet was KH Wahid Hasyim, his father Gus Dur who we know as the son of the founder of NU Hadratussyaikh KH Hasyim Asyari. About three months later, when he entered the cabinet under PM Sjahrir I, then the Minister of Religion was KH M. Rasjidi who incidentally is a Masjumi-Muhammadiyah figure," said Arsul. Meanwhile, Commission VIII of the DPR reminded the Minister of Religion, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, to remain careful in issuing statements. Because he is a public official.
Chairman of Commission VIII DPR RI Yandri Susanto, assessed that as a state official, Minister of Religion Yaqut should understand that in the digital era, everything will quickly spread and become public consumption. All words and behavior of officials will easily go viral.
"You still have to be careful, whether you want to be internal, to be closed, to have limited meetings. Because nowadays, in the era of social media, information is received very quickly," Yandri told reporters, Monday, October 25.
The PAN politician then suggested that Minister of Religion Yaqut be able to provide a complete explanation regarding the function of the Ministry of Religion, which was formed to take care of all matters of various faiths in Indonesia.
"The Ministry of Religion belongs to all groups, belongs to all religions. To be emphasized again, there is no specificity for Nahdlatul Ulama," said Yandri.
The head of the commission in charge of religion said Yaqut must convey that everyone without exception has the same opportunity to occupy strategic positions in the Ministry of Religion.
"The same opportunity to occupy any position or from any group is open at the Ministry of Religion, not specifically Nahdlatul Ulama," concluded Yandri.
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Minister of Religion Clarifies His Statement For Internal NU
Responding to criticism from various parties, Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas opened his voice regarding his statement. According to him, the statement is a limited statement for NU's internal circles. He explained that the purpose of his statement was only to encourage the students and the Islamic boarding school.
"Isn't that wrong? That's because it's internal," said Minister of Religion Yaqut to reporters on Monday, October 25. Yaqut then made an analogy with his statement as when someone is making love under the moonlight. Instantly, he said, it would be said that the world belongs to both of them while the other is only a contract.
The Minister of Religion ensured that so far the Ministry of Religion's policies were not only for NU. Because, according to him, the Ministry of Religion gives proportional rights to mass organizations, not only NU circles.
In fact, he said, the Director General of Hajj and Umrah was led by Muhammadiyah cadres. Also, the Inspector General of the Ministry of Religion is also not from the NU circle.
"So it's normal, encouraging is natural, it's an internal forum. It's an internal forum, it's an encouraging context," said Minister of Religion Yaqut.
Minister of Religion deserves to be removed and PAN takes over
Political observer, Dedi Kurnia Syah, believes that Minister of Religion Yaqut made a mistake and must explain the purpose of his statement so that it is not considered to be paving the way for collusion in the ministry he leads.
"The statement clearly contains collusion, and there needs to be a firm statement from the Minister of Religion if he made a mistake in making the statement," said Dedi, Monday, October 25.
According to him, if there is no clarification by the Minister of Religion, it will be considered as allowing the existence of mafia positions in the Ministry of Religion without considering quality and capacity. He is worried that the Minister of Religion's primordial attitude will affect national consolidation efforts.
"This means that Yaqut is not worthy of a ministerial position. And it is sad because it eliminates diversity in Indonesia," he explained. The Executive Director of Indonesia Political Opinion (IPO) also believes that President Jokowi should reprimand the Minister of Religion for his tumultuous remarks.
"It's better if the president reprimands him directly and harshly," concluded Dedi. Meanwhile, the Director of the Indonesian Political, Legal and Policy Research Center (PRPHKI), Saiful Anam assessed that Minister of Religion Yaqut deserved to be removed based on the recent rowdy dynamics.
On the one hand, he said, the National Mandate Party (PAN), which had been introduced as a friend of the coalition, could be placed to fill the position.
According to him, the inclusion of PAN cadres also dismissed the claim of Minister of Religion Yaqut that the Ministry of Religion was a special gift for NU. This is because PAN has a close relationship with Muhammadiyah.
"We know that PAN is very close to Muhammadiyah. So it is not wrong if Jokowi can use this momentum as best he can to expel Yaqut and include PAN cadres who are Muhammadiyah," said Saiful, Wednesday, October 27.
It could also, he said, give the position of the Minister of Religion to a professional group that is not from a political party. Thus, they can better position themselves in relation to all recognized religions in Indonesia.
"I think the Minister of Religion Yaqut really doesn't deserve to be defended," concluded Saiful.
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