Transport Justice for Those Who Educate the Nation

The inequality between the salaries of teachers and members of the House of Representatives (DPR) remains an irony that disturbs the sense of justice. We are presented with a bitter reality: many honorary teachers with salaries of Rp 500,000 to Rp 1.5 million must sacrifice 20% to 50% of their income purely for transport costs. Their physical and mental safety is drained on the roads. On the other hand, DPR members enjoy basic salaries, honourary allowances, communication allowances, and transport and housing facilities worth tens to hundreds of times the income of an honorary teacher. How does the lens of Maqashid Syariah (the primary objectives of Islamic law), particularly the thoughts of contemporary scholars such as Yusuf Al-Qardhawi and Thahir Ibnu Asyur, view this inequality? 1. Fiqh al-Awlawiyyat (Jurisprudence of Priorities) by Yusuf Al-Qardhawi: Yusuf Al-Qardhawi strongly emphasises the importance of Fiqh al-Awlawiyyat, or the jurisprudence of priorities, in managing state policy and budgets. In Islam, the fulfilment of needs is divided into three levels: Dharuriyyat (primary/urgent needs), Hajiyyat (secondary), and Tahsiniyyat (tertiary/luxuries). Teachers fall within the realm of Dharuriyyat: Transport for a teacher is not merely a comfort but a determinant of whether they can teach or not. Teachers are the primary agents safeguarding the intellect (Hifz al-Aql) and religion (Hifz al-Din) for the nation’s generation. Securing a decent salary and access to pioneer transport for teachers is a Dharuriyyat obligation for the state. DPR facilities tend towards Tahsiniyyat: Conversely, the excessive facilities and allowances given to officials or DPR members, such as luxury cars or fantastic aspiration absorption allowances, often fall into the realm of Tahsiniyyat (luxuries). Qardhawi’s view: Allocating the state budget for the luxury (Tahsiniyyat) of a handful of legislative elites, while the urgent needs (Dharuriyyat) of the nation’s educators are neglected, is a violation of social justice and a defect in setting state priorities. 2. Protecting Honour and Life (Hifz al-Nafs): Consider the dangerous routes teachers in the 3T regions (Disadvantaged, Frontier, Outermost) must travel. They must cross rivers on makeshift boats or traverse damaged roads that threaten their lives. The teacher’s burden: Teachers risk their lives (Hifz al-Nafs) to serve. The physical and mental energy drained (burnout) on the road causes the quality of teaching to decline. DPR privilege: Legislative members are not only given transport money but are also facilitated with first-class infrastructure and accommodation to support their ‘performance’. Maqashid perspective: The state is obliged to protect the lives and intellects of its citizens. Allowing teachers to gamble with their lives on the roads without infrastructure support and transport subsidies is a form of state negligence in carrying out the function of Hifz al-Nafs. 3. The Principle of Equality (Musawah) according to Ibnu Asyur: Thahir Ibnu Asyur, a great scholar from Tunisia, developed the concept of Maqashid Syariah by adding a broader social dimension, one of which is Al-Musawah (Equality and Social Justice). According to him, Islamic law aims to eliminate baseless discrimination in society. Ecosystem inequality: Welfare is not just a number on a payslip, but a healthy ecosystem. DPR members have a very well-established support ecosystem, from expert staff to recess funds. In contrast, honorary teachers must struggle alone against city traffic or the extremes of the hinterland without pioneer cost subsidies. Ibnu Asyur’s view: This extreme inequality violates the principle of Musawah. Equality does not mean the salary must be exactly the same in nominal terms, but equality in the fulfilment of basic rights and human dignity. The state violates the principle of Maslahah Mursalah (public interest) if its payroll system impoverishes the party that contributes most to educating the nation, while pampering those who sit in bureaucratic seats. Through the Maqashid Syariah lens of Yusuf Al-Qardhawi and Ibnu Asyur: 1. Systemic Budgetary Sin: Neglecting teachers’ salaries and transport access, while the state is capable of paying legislators fantastic sums, is a form of priority deviation (defeating the Dharuri for the sake of the Tahsini). 2. Honouring Teachers is Sharia: The state must be present to provide special public transport subsidies for teachers and build pioneer roads. This is not merely an infrastructure programme, but a religious obligation to safeguard the continuity of the intellect (Hifz al-Aql) of the people. Educating the nation is a long journey, and that journey must begin by ensuring its messengers arrive in the classroom with a smile. In Islam, ensuring the smiles of these educators is a priority of justice that the state must fulfil before thinking about the luxuries of its officials.