MINISTER OF RELIGION ENCOURAGES INTERFAITH COLLABORATION FOR RELIGIOUS SERVICES IN KUA

The Acting Secretary General of the Ministry of Religion, Abu Rokhmad, stated that the Religious Service program for all religious people at the Religious Affairs Office (Kua) was ready to be implemented, with marriage services to be implemented in stages. This was announced at a coordination meeting across community guidance services in Jakarta on Monday, March 4, 2024, led by Abu Rokhmad. The coordination meeting discussed the follow-up plan under the direction of Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas so that KUA can become a service center for all religious people. Present at the meeting were various figures and officials from various religions, including the Director General of Catholic guidance, the Director General of Christian guidance, the Director General of Hindu guidance, and the Director General of Buddhist guidance, as well as representatives of the Special Staff of the Minister of Religious Affairs and a number of heads of related institutions. Abu Rokhmad explained that inclusive religious services for all religions would include information, administration, religious guidance, mentoring, and advocacy. The guidance services include marriage guidance and counseling, pre-marriage guidance, and marriage registration. However, the implementation of marriage services in KUA will be carried out in stages, considering the needs of religious people, human resources readiness, and management support. In addition, the meeting also agreed on the importance of the formulation of judicious, philosophical, sociological, and historical foundations related to KUA as a service center for all religions, which will soon be prepared by the Ministry of Religion's research, development, and training. In the implementation of this program, the Ministry of Religion will work with the Ministry of Home Affairs to accelerate the discussion of the required regulations. The Law Bureau of the Ministry of Religion will be responsible for the identification, inventory, and preparation of these regulations. Kua Program as a religious service center will be implemented by all religious guidance and Khonghucu Pusbimdik. The Secretary of the Directorate General of Islamic Guidance, Adib Machrus, stated that there had been an agreement to create a Pilot Project KUA as a religious service center. Various parties, including Christian, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, and Confucian religious institutions, expressed support for this program. They hope that the implementation can be well integrated and not extend the bureaucracy. At the end of the meeting, Special Staff for Law Enforcement and Compliance, Abdul Qodir, emphasized the importance of system integration between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Religion through a Memorandum of Understanding to ensure the successful implementation of this program. It is hoped that with the steps taken, this inclusive and integrated religious service program can provide great benefits to the people of Indonesia, strengthen interreligious harmony, and improve the governance and regulation of religious services in the country.