KIP Appreciates Baznas RI's Best Practices in Public Information Transparency

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Chairman of the Central Information Commission (KIP), Arya Sandhiyudha, has given high appreciation for the National Amil Zakat Agency’s (Baznas) commitment to upholding transparency to realise public information openness. Arya assessed that Baznas has shown significant progress by not only fulfilling administrative obligations but also building an information ecosystem based on strong research and data for the welfare of the ummah. “I see that Baznas, by holding this event, demonstrates that it indeed has an approach to public information openness. It’s rare for a public body to celebrate public information openness by conducting research tests, let alone producing the research,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday. Arya highlighted the importance of examining the causal relationship between zakat institution performance and information society through an emic approach to understand the high diversity of community viewpoints. He assessed that societal responses to zakat are not only based on the institution’s ethical approach but are also influenced by differences in understanding and diverse viewpoints in receiving information. According to him, audit transparency and good governance, or Good Amil Governance, become the main foundation in building muzaki trust, especially in the digital era. “The fundamental issue is whether our society considers audits important? So, accountability, transparency, and participation are principles that are actually popular from the Western world cluster, as if the ummah does not feel the need for such themes. I have the conclusion that the ummah actually needs to transcend their religiosity,” said Arya Sandhiyudha. Meanwhile, the Head of the Education and Da’wah Programme Division of Baznas RI, Farid Septian, stated that they are striving to contextualise and reinterpret zakat management to remain relevant to the needs of the times. “With better governance, muzaki trust is expected to continue increasing so that the benefits received by mustahik become more optimal,” said Farid Septian.