Before performing any deed, a good Muslim would
say "In the name of Allah, most gracious and most merciful" -- either
to make sure that he or she is not committing an act of sin, or asking God to
show mercy in case a sin is committed. But would a Muslim say that before
stealing, too? The bad ones probably do.
The
Muslim politicians and bureaucrats involved in the latest scandal over the
procurement of a Quran, no doubt would have said bismillah (in
the name of God). But while they may believe God will be merciful, don't expect
the public to be so forgiving.
In
Indonesia, the country with the world's largest Muslim population, you don't go
any lower than stealing in the name of God.
The
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named Zulkarnaen Djabar,
a Golkar Party member of the House of Representatives, and his son as suspects in
the scandal. It's possible, though, that the case may soon expand to include
more suspects.
Zulkarnaen,
a member of the House's Budget Committee and Commission VIII (which deals with
religious and social affairs), played an active role in pushing the House to
approve hefty increases in the budget allocated for the government's program to
procure Qurans. Zulkarnaen had a personal interest in the project: His son,
Dendi Prasetya, got the lucrative contract to supply Qurans to the Ministry of
Religious Affairs.
Other Commission VIII
members have since
confessed that they each received over 500 copies of the Quran from the
Ministry. None of them saw this as a kickback for securing the budget
increases. Some claimed they were simply helping the Ministry to distribute
Qurans (no doubt to appease voters before the 2014 elections).
Others
claimed that the free, government-distributed Qurans would help promote
moderation and tolerance in Islam as part of the campaign to fight radicalism.
This claim has been refuted by an Islamic group that found that the
government-issued Qurans carry translations that promote violence and
radicalism.
At a
cost of Rp 1 million ($106) each, these volumes of the Holy Book must be among
the most expensive Qurans ever found in Indonesia.
Public
reaction to the news has been largely muted -- primarily because no one was
really that surprised. It's not the first time that God's name has been
corrupted. The Ministry of Religious Affairs has already earned a reputation as
one of the most corrupt state institutions, according to a Corruption
Eradication Survey conducted in 2011.
Rather
than a fortress of morality, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has long since
become a bastion of hypocrisy.
To many
bureaucrats and politicians, God has become a commercial project, whether it's
procuring Qurans, or dispatching a huge Indonesian delegation to the haj
pilgrimage in Mecca, the most lucrative of all government projects. Not
surprisingly, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has jealously guarded this
project in spite of repeated calls to leave it to an independent agency
that would subject it to closer scrutiny to ensure better management.
Indonesia
sends more than 200,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia each year, the largest
contingent from any country. As far as business goes, this is a captive market
over which the government holds a monopoly. The ministry rakes in huge profits
from the project, and it now sits atop a $4 billion endowment.
The
temptation is just too big. One former minister of religious affairs, Said Agil
Husin Al Munawar, went to jail in 2006 for taking money from the haj fund.
The appointment this month of Anggito Abimanyu, a
respected economist and financial expert, as director general of haj affairs
has been welcomed in many quarters. The assumption is that he will know what to
do with the large endowment. But it also confirms the public view that the
government treats the pilgrimage as nothing more than a commercial project.
Instead of improving efficiency of service, it is aiming to squeezing more
profit out of the fund.
Sending
more than 200,000 pilgrims to Mecca is a huge undertaking, and each year the
Ministry of Religious Affairs is criticized for the breakdown in some of its
services. Indonesian pilgrims spend the longest time in Saudi Arabia -- 38 days
-- compared to two weeks for pilgrims from other countries. The government
defends the policy by saying the extra days allow pilgrims to pray more in the
holy land and earn bonus blessings from God.
The
waiting time to go on the pilgrimage can be as long as five years, and everyone
has to pay in advance, with the accrued interest pocketed by the government.
But it turns out, apparently, that you can cut the line and depart this year,
but spend only two or three weeks, if you pay a lot more. Access to Allah
apparently depends on the color of your money. No one can accuse the ministry
of lacking entrepreneurship. They saw an opportunity, and they are profiting
from it.
The haj
project involves many commercial interests, both in Indonesia and in Saudi
Arabia, that include airlines, hotels, catering companies, guides, souvenirs,
and paraphernalia. But while the largesse is distributed among these different
commercial interests, there is no doubt that government takes the lion share.
The
latest Quran procurement scandal pales in comparison. Making money from God,
legally or otherwise, seems perfectly acceptable to those who earn their living
this way, including politicians and bureaucrats.
Let us
just hope that they also never forget to sing praises and sayAlhamdullilah when
the deed is done. Who knows, perhaps God will forgive them after all.
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