KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 — The roles of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) and the Ministry of National Unity (KPN) are different, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar.
He said Jakim’s mission is to enhance the management of Islamic affairs, focusing on the well-being of the ummah through a rahmah approach while KPN, under Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang’s leadership, aims to foster unity and harmony among the people by creating an integration platform.
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“The Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) reiterates that RM 1.9 billion has been allocated in 2024 for the management and development of Islamic affairs. This includes funding for all its agencies such as Jakim, the Department of Syariah Judiciary Malaysia (JKSM) and the Department of Waqf, Zakat,and Haj (Jawhar).
“This demonstrates the Madani government’s strong commitment to reinforce the position of Islam as guaranteed by the Federal Constitution, aiming to uphold the values of Islam, moderation and tolerance, ultimately benefitting the country,” he said in a statement today.
Mohd Na’im made these remarks in response to former Sungai Benut Member of Parliament Mohamed Tawfik Ismail’s statement, in which he suggested that KPN should receive an allocation equal to or greater than Jakim due to its role in fostering harmony among the people.
In his statement, Mohd Na’im also clarified the allocations received by the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), including Jakim, which amount to RM730 million. These funds are allocated for Quran and Fardu Ain (Kafa) class teachers, mosque officials and imams nationwide involved in human development.
For Jakim’s ongoing operations, he said RM249 million is allocated for management expenses, RM50 million for development expenses, and an additional RM150 million for the maintenance and upgrading of infrastructure in Islamic educational institutions such as public religious schools, registered boarding schools, and tahfiz schools.
“At the same time, the unity government has decided to reintroduce grants of RM20,000 to all registered Public Religious Schools under Jakim, aiming to strengthen the role of these schools in cultivating the al-falah (success) generation, an essential asset for the nation’s future development,” he said. — Bernama