Religion Alone Cannot Resolve State Issues: Azyumardi Azra
6 August 2018 22:10 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Muslim scholar from the Jakarta State University (UNJ), Azyumardi Azra, has said that the vice presidential candidates that the country needs right now are those who possess the necessary economic and developmental skills.
Azyumardi’s statement is a direct response to the current phenomenon of ulemas being touted as vice presidential candidates for the 2019 presidential race.
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He maintained that the phenomenon came from good intentions. However, he assessed that state issues could not be solely resolved by religious knowledge.
“This is a state task that cannot be resolved with fiqh,” said Azyumardi at the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) office in Jakarta on Monday, August 6.
Read: VP Candidates Likely to Decrease Jokowi Electability Rate: Survey
He explained that the phenomenon of ulemas being proposed as future vice presidents was a sign that religion was under the spotlight. However, during the current demanding economic climate, a vice president must bear good economic technocracy, be it in the field of macro or micro economy.
Azyumardi suggested it would be better if religious values were combined with necessary economic skills, which so far had yet to emerge. He said that neither President Jokowi nor Prabowo Subianto has offered an individual with such traits.
FRISKI RIANA
