VP has encouraged all stakeholders to promote and implement sharia economics through programs that are practical and easy to understand.
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Kompas/Laksana Agung Saputra
Vice President Jusuf Kalla (right), Bank Indonesia Governor Agus DW Martowardojo (second right) and East Java Governor Soekarwo (third right) visit a booth at the 2017 Indonesian Sharia Economy Festival on Thursday in Surabaya, East Java. The sharia finance and economic sectors will be accelerated through expanding the sharia financial market and education and research on economic empowerment.
SURABAYA, KOMPAS — Vice President Jusuf Kalla has encouraged all stakeholders to promote and implement sharia economics through programs that are practical and easy to understand. With this strategy, economic activities based on sharia or Islamic principles can be easily implemented.
"Sharia economics is not so difficult because economics is part of muamalah [commercial and other civil activities]. Muamalah, as taught by ulema, is lawful as long as it is not haram," Vice President Jusuf Kalla said in a speech when opening the Indonesian Sharia Economics Festival 2017 in Surabaya on Thursday, which was attended by about 1,000 people.
The annual event, which has been held since 2014, was organized by Bank Indonesia (BI) to encourage the implementation of sharia economics. The event was attended by BI Governor Agus DW Martowardojo, National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) head Bambang PS Brodjonegoro, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, Financial Services Authority (OJK) Board of Commissioners head Wimboh Santoso, Deposit Insurance Corporation Board of Commissioners head Halim Alamsyah and East Java Governor Soekarwo.
The most important thing, according to Kalla, is to implement sharia economics through concrete measures because few Indonesian Muslims are involved in trade.
"Therefore, teaching santri [Islamic boarding school students] how to trade is very important, not just teaching them about the history of the Prophet trading from Mecca to Syria. Trading from Malang to Jakarta is also important," Kalla said.
Activities related to trade, agriculture and other sectors are part of sharia economics as long as they are lawful and not haram, he said.
Importing halal products
During the event, Agus DW Martowardojo said sharia economics and finance were not a concept intended only for Muslims. Instead, the concept is inclusive and can involve all elements of society.
It is the inclusive concept that makes sharia economics and finance thrive globally. This is reflected in the significant growth of the global halal or sharia industry, which reached US$3.8 trillion in 2015 and is projected to increase to $6.3 trillion by 2021.
With the promising growth, a number of countries are striving to become the main players in sharia economics. This phenomenon does not only occur in countries with mainly Muslim populations but also in countries where Muslims are a minority, such as Thailand, Japan and the UK, Agus said.
Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, Agus said, and has great potential in the global halal industry. However, the potential has not been properly tapped. In fact, Indonesia is one of biggest importers of halal products, he added. In the halal food industry, for example, Indonesia is the fourth-largest importer in the world.
"We certainly do not want to become entirely an importer of halal products. We should be self-sufficient. In fact, we should be able to export halal products. If we only import, it will widen the current account deficit and undermine our balance of payments.
"Furthermore, an increase in halal product imports will threaten the independence and resilience of the national economy," said Agus, adding that the global halal industry should be tapped to its full potential for the sake of the national economy.
Sharia economics and financial development need to be accelerated by optimizing and integrating existing resources.
Therefore, the existence of the National Committee for Islamic Finance (KNKS) is crucial. The KNKS is expected to synergize sharia economics and financial policies and programs.
East Java Governor Soekarwo said in his speech that the East Java administration was accelerating a program to separate the sharia unit of Bank Jatim into an independent sharia commercial bank. The existence of sharia banks will strengthen Islamic finance in East Java.
