PKB Ulama Ijtima Discusses Four Issues, Highlights Meagre Pesantren Budget and HR Governance

The National Awakening Party (PKB) together with a number of ulama discussed four strategic issues during the Indonesian Ulama Ijtima’ event on Thursday, 23 July 2026. The issues discussed revolved around the dynamics of national life and society. “There are four main strategic issues that we discussed earlier. First, regarding the dynamics of national, state, and social life,” said Secretary of the PKB DPP Syura Council, Saifullah Maskum. He stated that the PKB and the ulama discussed the direction of development as well as the political and democratic conditions of the country. The second issue, he said, related to the economy. The PKB and the ulama assessed that the economic policies of the government of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka are in line with the constitution, prioritising community empowerment. “However, we criticise the implementation, as there are still issues, especially regarding governance and the readiness of human resources which have not been properly prepared, resulting in deviations, distortions, and inconsistencies with what the President planned,” he said. Therefore, the forum conveyed that there must be an evaluation and continuous control over government programmes. “Because this is a major programme, a programme that allocates a large budget and has a huge socio-economic impact. Therefore, the widest possible space must be opened for public participation, evaluation, monitoring, and supervision,” he stated. For the third issue, he said the forum highlighted the practice of education in the country, especially concerning Islamic boarding schools (pesantren). “Pesantren have recently been subjected to various negative stigmas from people who do not understand them, resulting in a decline in public interest in sending their children to pesantren,” he said. The forum also agreed on the need to increase funding for pesantren from the 20 per cent national education budget allocation. “The fourth issue and discussion concerned the plan for the upcoming NU Congress in Jombang,” he concluded.