West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi Praises Muhammadiyah's Role in Eradicating Illiteracy and Social Blindness

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi has expressed high appreciation for Muhammadiyah’s strategic role in national development. He described Muhammadiyah’s missionary work as an effective movement for eliminating various forms of ‘blindness’ within society, ranging from illiteracy and language barriers to blindness of the heart. This was conveyed by Dedi Mulyadi during his address at the peak of Aisyiyah’s 109th anniversary celebration held at the Darul Arqam Muhammadiyah Islamic Boarding School in Garut Regency on Monday (22/6/2026). ‘Thus, Muhammadiyah’s missionary movement is a movement to eliminate blindness. First, illiteracy; second, language blindness; and no less important is blindness of the heart,’ said the Governor, who is familiarly known as KDM. Dedi noted that Muhammadiyah, along with its women’s autonomous organisation Aisyiyah, has a long track record in Indonesian history. As one of the oldest organisations focused on Islamic propagation, Muhammadiyah has successfully transformed religious understanding from mere sermons into tangible action through education. According to him, the education system built by Muhammadiyah has become a beacon for Indonesian citizens, both in remote villages and city centres. ‘Indonesian citizens must receive a lantern or sunlight. That lantern must grow within an evenly distributed educational value system,’ he continued. Furthermore, KDM stressed that institutionally, Muhammadiyah’s educational institutions are pioneers of modern formal education in Indonesia. This model has surpassed traditional religious education and has produced many technocrats and excellent human resources. ‘Since Indonesia’s independence, Muhammadiyah cadres have contributed greatly to financial management, politics, governance, and technocracy,’ Dedi asserted. On that occasion, the West Java Governor also expressed his hope that Islamic community organisations, particularly in the West Java and Garut regions, would be more proactive in resolving pressing social issues. He highlighted that Garut Regency, which serves as a strong base for Aisyiyah and Muhammadiyah, should be able to overcome problems of poverty and basic education. Dedi encouraged stronger collaboration to eliminate stunting and illiteracy, both in Latin script and the Qur’an. ‘There should no longer be stunting in Garut, no more illiteracy. All these problems should have been resolved with the presence of these large organisations,’ he concluded.