House Commission VIII Chair Yandri Susanto reads out the conclusion of a working meeting between Commission VIII and Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi at Nusantara Building II, parliamentary complex, Jakarta on Wednesday (2/9/2020). Photo: Andri/Man

House Commission VIII, which deals with religious and social affairs, approved the budget implementation plan of the Religious Affairs Ministry through budget optimization and reallocation worth Rp 1.515 trillion. The commission also called upon the Ministry to take into account recommendations from the leaders and members of the Commission in the 2020 budget implementation.

One of the recommendations given was for the ministry to make the most of Rp 326 billion in official trip and meeting package budget, said House Commission VIII Chair Yandri Susanto. The ministry was also expected to accelerate the 2020 budget implementation through budget optimization and reallocation, which would be carried out under the coordination of the ministry’s secretary general.

“We approved the Religious Affairs Ministry Rp1.5 trillion budget reallocation provided that the ministry takes into account recommendations from the leaders and members of the commission,” Susanto said in the closing statement of the working meeting between Commission VIII and Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi at Nusantara II Building, Parliamentary Complex, Jakarta on Wednesday (2/9/2020).

In the meeting, the Commission also reminded that the COVID-19 budget for operational assistance for Islamic boarding schools and Islamic Elementary School (Madrasah Diniyah Takmiliyah) be implemented based on valid data and status of the institution. Furthermore, the Religious Affairs Ministry was also expected to design its remote learning curriculum for school under the Religious Affairs Ministry administration to ensure its effective implementation.

Minister Fahrul Razi expressed his aprreciation for every recommendation both from the House Commission VIII Chair and all its members. He added that the ministry is fully committed to being transparent and lending its support to the recommendations from all members of the Commission. (tn/sf)