Minister Introduces Asta Protas, 8 Priority Programs For 2025-2029

The Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) has launched eight priority programs called "Asta Protas" to achieve the Asta Cita and align with the 17 priority programs of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar stated that these eight programs will be implemented within the ministry from 2025 to 2029. "Asta Protas includes eight major programs aimed at directly benefiting the community and contributing to the Asta Cita and the 17 priority programs of the President and Vice President," Nasaruddin said at the Kemenag office in Thamrin, Central Jakarta, on Thursday (March 6, 2025). The eight priority programs are: Enhancing Harmony and Love for Humanity, Strengthening Ecotheology, Impactful Religious Services, Achieving Excellent, Friendly, and Integrated Education, Empowering Islamic Boarding Schools, Economic Empowerment of the Community, Successful Hajj, and Digital Governance. Nasaruddin explained that the first program focuses on enhancing harmony and love for humanity, which aims to improve interfaith relations. "We will strengthen regulations on religious harmony, including enhancing the role of KUA to detect potential religious conflicts early," said the Grand Imam of Istiqlal Mosque. The second program focuses on economic strengthening, addressing the global issue of climate change. According to Nasaruddin, Indonesia must prioritize environmental preservation. "Religion is rich in values for environmental conservation. In Islam, there is the concept of khilafah, which emphasizes humanity's role as stewards of nature. Hinduism teaches Tri Hita Karana, and Catholicism has Laudato Si'," he noted. The third program is about impactful religious services, where Kemenag will enhance marriage guidance, promote family welfare, and develop inclusive and friendly KUA. The fourth program aims to create excellent, friendly, and integrated education.

Fifth, the empowerment of pesantren will focus on creating a safe, child-friendly, and inclusive learning environment. Sixth, there will be an economic empowerment initiative for the community, where the Ministry of Religious Affairs will strengthen governance to optimize the role of religious social funds through zakat. The seventh program aims for a successful pilgrimage, as the 2025 hajj may be the last managed by the Ministry, so it is essential to leave a lasting legacy. "We strive for pilgrims to smile at the beginning during preparations, smile in the middle while performing the hajj, and smile at the end after completing the pilgrimage. May all be blessed," said Nasaruddin. The final program focuses on digitizing governance, emphasizing affordable, efficient, and transparent digital services for religious matters. "We want digitalization across all services, with various information presented in a single data service," Nasaruddin added. In the future, different information systems from the Ministry will be integrated into one digital application for widespread public access.

Tag: Asta Cita Nasaruddin Umar Tri Hita Karana