Baznas Grants Recommendation for Establishment of Two Zakat Institutions in West Java
The National Amil Zakat Agency (Baznas) has handed over Recommendation Letters for the Establishment of Amil Zakat Institutions (LAZ) and signed Integrity Pacts with Yayasan Rumah Quran Jatinangor and Yayasan Ummul Quro Bogor, as part of efforts to expand the reach and optimise the management of zakat, infak, and sedekah (ZIS).
Baznas leadership for Organisation, Institutional Affairs, and Regional Development, Saidah Sakwan, stated that the more LAZ are formed, the wider the reach of zakat propagation and literacy within society. She noted that the existence of LAZ serves as a strategic partner for Baznas in optimising the potential of ZIS in Indonesia.
“The signing of the Integrity Pact is an important part of our collective protection efforts. We hope our LAZ colleagues will be able to collect large amounts and provide increasingly broad contributions to the community,” she said, as quoted from an official statement on Sunday (12/7).
Saidah further reminded all LAZ to always adhere to the governance principles applied by Baznas, namely the 3A: Aman Syar’i (Sharia Compliant), Aman Regulasi (Regulation Compliant), and Aman NKRI (Loyal to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia).
“I entrust this 3A principle to all LAZ. We hope to continue maintaining a close relationship, both in harmony of thought and harmony of movement. We must unite this frequency into a solid movement and consolidation,” she said.
In addition to strengthening governance, Saidah also encouraged the creation of various zakat education programmes, including through zakat manasik (rites). According to her, this education is important to build public awareness that zakat is part of a Muslim’s lifestyle.
“This zakat manasik is actually very crucial for us to carry out. Going forward, our orientation must shift towards the awareness that zakat is a lifestyle. We want to build awareness where a person will feel uneasy if they have not paid zakat, just like when they are late in performing prayers,” Saidah explained.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Social Propagation Division of Yayasan Ummul Quro Bogor, Dr. Suhandi, M.Pd.I., welcomed the receipt of the Recommendation Letter for the Establishment of LAZ and the signing of the Integrity Pact.
“This is a mandate for us to continue contributing, not only in collecting zakat funds, but also through various programmes that provide real benefits and impact for the community, especially in Bogor,” he said.
Similarly, the Chairperson of Yayasan Rumah Qur’an Jatinangor, Maimon Herawati, affirmed her foundation’s commitment to continue various programmes that have been running, while strengthening governance after obtaining the recommendation to form an LAZ.
“Our hope is that the guidance and direction from Baznas can continue to support the development of this institution so that it improves. We also hope that this institution can operate in accordance with regulations, have legal certainty, comply with sharia, and remain based on the values of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI),” she said.