{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1770668,
        "msgid": "state-budget-qurbani-between-public-benefit-and-ethical-scrutiny-1780008822",
        "date": "2026-05-28 19:41:37",
        "title": "State Budget Qurbani: Between Public Benefit and Ethical Scrutiny",
        "author": "Ferry kisihandi",
        "source": "REPUBLIKA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "The government's use of state funds for Eid al-Adha sacrificial cattle has sparked debate over ethical and social implications. Experts argue it should be framed as state social assistance rather than personal sacrifice, stressing transparency and opportunity cost. They urge accountability to ensure benefits reach the poor and local farmers while avoiding symbolic gestures.",
        "content": "<p>The controversy over President Prabowo Subianto\u2019s state budget-funded\nsacrificial cattle must be approached with a cool head. The government,\nthrough the State Secretariat Ministry, stated that for Eid al-Adha 1447\nH\/2026, the President will distribute 1,098 cattle under the\nPresidential Social Assistance programme. This includes 598 cattle for\n552 provinces, regencies, and cities, and 500 for Islamic organisations,\nIslamic boarding schools, and religious figures across regions. The\nState Secretariat noted that the procurement involved 525 local farmers,\nwith cattle meeting veterinary health certificates and sacrificial\nrequirements. Public debate has centred on whether using state budget\nfunds for Qurbani is permissible. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI)\nstated that, under Islamic law, the President\u2019s purchase of sacrificial\ncattle via the Presidential Assistance scheme is acceptable if viewed as\nstate aid for public welfare, not the President\u2019s personal sacrifice.\nMUI also linked this to the Baitul Mal tradition\u2014a public fund that\nleaders can use for the community\u2019s benefit. However, the\n\u2018sharia-compliant\u2019 label does not absolve the need to assess the policy\non public ethics, budget priorities, transparency, and socio-economic\nbenefits. This is the fundamental distinction. Personal Qurbani is an\nindividual act involving personal ownership, intention, and\nresponsibility. Thus, state budget funds should not be claimed as the\nofficial\u2019s personal sacrifice; it is better framed as state\nsocial-religious assistance during Eid al-Adha. Some scholars cited by\nRepublika emphasise that public funds for sacrificial animals should be\nconsidered public charity or gifts, not personal Qurbani that fulfils an\nindividual\u2019s obligation. Thus, the debate should not halt at a \u2018halal\u2019\nor \u2018haram\u2019 dichotomy. In Islamic social and economic jurisprudence,\npublic policy is measured by public benefit. If the programme genuinely\nexpands poor communities\u2019 access to meat, assists Islamic boarding\nschools and vulnerable groups, supports local farmers, and strengthens\nsocial solidarity, its benefits are tangible. Conversely, if it becomes\nmere ceremony, image-building, or unmeasured symbolic distribution,\npublic criticism is valid and must be heeded. Sociologically, Qurbani is\nmore than animal slaughter; it is a social solidarity mechanism. In\nvillages, mosques, boarding schools, and urban areas, Eid al-Adha brings\ntogether citizens across classes\u2014the able to share, the less fortunate\nto partake. State presence in this space can strengthen social cohesion.\nYet, the government must ensure it does not displace community mutual\naid, create symbolic dependency, or centre the meaning of Qurbani around\npower figures. Anthropologically, Qurbani in Indonesia is part of\ncollective culture, embodying religious values, gratitude, respect for\nneighbours, and social honour distribution. State-provided cattle are\nreadily accepted as a gesture of care. However, culture also recognises\nthe danger of \u2018charity politics\u2019\u2014where public funds are perceived as the\nruler\u2019s personal generosity. The state budget is not the official\u2019s\npersonal money; it is a public trust. Therefore, government\ncommunication must be precise: this is state assistance, not a personal\ngift. From a state finance law perspective, the budget must be managed\norderly, compliant, efficient, economical, effective, transparent, and\naccountable with fairness and propriety. This principle is outlined in\nArticle 3(1) of Law No.\u00a017 of 2003 on State Finance. Thus, the\nprogramme\u2019s viability isn\u2019t merely about having a budget. Further\nquestions: is procurement efficient, pricing reasonable, recipients\nappropriate, benefits measurable, and reports publicly accessible? As an\neconomist, I view this through the lens of opportunity cost. Some\nreports suggest the cattle procurement costs around Rp10 billion. Since\nthis figure isn\u2019t in the State Secretariat\u2019s primary release, it should\nbe treated as media-reported data requiring official confirmation. If\naccurate, the public has a right to details: average prices, cattle\nweights, logistics costs, purchase regions, procurement methods, and\ninvolved farmers. Transparency isn\u2019t about suspicion but maintaining\ntrust. Arguments that such funds would be better spent elsewhere\nshouldn\u2019t be deemed anti-religious. In Islamic legal objectives\n(maqashid syariah), prioritisation is part of benefit ethics. Indonesia\nstill faces poverty, food insecurity, and purchasing power pressures.\nBPS data shows 23.36 million poor people in September 2025, a poverty\nrate of 8.25 per cent. In this context, every state budget rupiah must\nbe tested for immediate or structural benefits\u2014or both. However,\noutright rejection is also unfair. If cattle are sourced from local\nfarmers, significant economic ripple effects occur\u2014funds circulate to\nbreeders, feed suppliers, transport services, animal health workers,\ndistribution committees, and recipient communities. From an Islamic\nsocial finance perspective, this could link public spending, halal\neconomy, livestock strengthening, and food distribution. But conditions\napply: avoid elite supplier concentration, prevent rent-seeking, and\nprioritise small-to-medium farmers. Thus, the most constructive middle\nground is accepting its sharia compliance while tightening public\naccountability. The government must clarify this programme\u2019s<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/state-budget-qurbani-between-public-benefit-and-ethical-scrutiny-1780008822",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}