OMG, Jakim got RM2bil for Budget 2025… but where did last year’s money go?

Another day, another round of Jakim stirring up talk again 😮‍💨. Amidst all the shiny new things Anwar’s brought up in Belanjawan 2025, you might have missed (meh, unlikely) the part where he allocated a whole RM2 billion to Jakim. Das rite, TWO BILLION. That’s even more than the RM1.9 billion they got last year, and way more than what the government is putting into anti-corruption efforts or even flood mitigation projects.

With this in mind, people are kinnnnnda raising eyebrows (and not for the first time). And those eyebrows ask, why does Jakim need that kind of cash, especially when other sectors are already stretched so thin?

But we reckon all this rasa tak puas hati comes from people not really knowing what Jakim does, other than yapping about halal certificates and serbu-ing establishments. Cos if it’s just stuff along those lines, understandably people would feel it’s a total waste of taxpayer money. So to settle the debate, we thought why not take a look at Jakim’s 2023 annual report to see what they’re ACTUALLY up to.

Let’s just say the shock kept shocking. Cos for one, they have wayyyy more followers than us 😔.

But beyond the follower count, the real questions is: what are they spending their billions on?

 

Um… they built a HIV/AIDS shelter for Muslims

Yes, like us, you’re probably going 🗣️GOOD GOD, how positively liberal of them. Well hold the shock and take a moment to admire this majestic building.

Ilaj Home is basically a place where Muslims with HIV/AIDS can get all-around support for their physical and mental health. They can actually stay there for free for about 9 to 12 months, and during their stay, they have access to medical treatment at government clinics or hospitals. Plus, they’ll also receive Islamic treatment from specialists, along with psychosocial support and Shariah-compliant counseling.

Residents will also receive spiritual education, such as Fardu Ain studies, and skill training to help prepare them to reintegrate into society with stronger self-confidence – JAWI Director Datuk Mohd Ajib Ismail via Harian Metro

All in all, we thought it was a very nice initiative that would definitely help lots of people who struggle with a pretty debilitating disease. But here’s the interesting part: according to the 2023 annual report, the budget for this place was just over RM1 million.

That didn’t really add up. Like, have you seen the size of the building? It’s supposed to house 100 people! So, we dug into the previous annual reports and found that the funding goes back to 2020. In total, Ilaj Home costs a whopping RM16,110,980.09…

… which kinda aligns with this tender list we found from 2012. It doesn’t say much other than the fact 48 contractors made bids that ranged between RM16 million to RM19 million to build the place.

Well then, how’s that for transparency?

 

Jakim is investing quite a bit in books and reading culture

Yep, we’re on a roll here.

From programs aimed to inspire kids to read..

…to encouraging adults to borrow books as well…

…there were quite a few book-related events we came upon in their annual report, like:

• Bacalah Anak-anak al-Falah : A program for the kids of Jakim staff, with activities like storytelling, puppet shows, and traditional games.
• Rahmah Untukmu 2023 : A mobile library service to encourage Jakim staff to borrow books.
• Program Literasi Madani Bersama Komuniti Golongan Kelainan Upaya (Pendengaran) : An exhibition and book sale that engaged with the hearing impaired community.

But perhaps the thing we found most impressive was the fact they came out with an entire braille Quran for visually impaired Muslims. AND!!! They distributed the first 1000 copies for free!

Side note, not sure if you guys knew this but there’s a Jakim library?? Thought we might throw that in here, cos that kinda blew our mind a little. (Excuse this writer, she’s been living under a rock)

And in the same vein as their books…

 

Jakim has also been hosting a bunch of meaningful community programs

No we don’t mean your regular makan-makan or gotong-royong. But like actual, necessary, super important stuff. Case in point:

i) A sexual harassment awareness program

ii) A training session on disability equality

iii) A seminar on the importance of emotional well-being at work

Not gonna lie, we went into this fully expecting to see religion-based programs and events only, so it’s actually really great to see them addressing these real world issues. On the downside, these were the few that we could pick out from a 187 page report. So 10/10 would love to see more events along these lines in next year’s edition.

 

That’s cool and all but is Jakim’s budget actually justified?

Now, while it’s been a ride uncovering all these initiatives, we can’t ignore the elephant in the room. And the fact is, most of Jakim’s budget doesn’t have a clear breakdown.

And by that, we mean Jakim was allocated over RM1 billion under Belanjawan 2023. Out of that hefty sum, RM938 million was dedicated to operational costs, while RM66 million was set aside for development projects. And here’s where things get a bit murky. They’ve provided a detailed breakdown for the development projects but all we’ve got of their operational expenses is a vague outline that doesn’t really tell us much:

We know funding for existing policies takes up the biggest chunk, and this, we can reasonably assume, covers the programs they mentioned in their annual report. But without knowing how exactly those funds are being divided, it’s pretty hard to gauge the effectiveness of their spending. Sure, Jakim is doing some good work, but they’ve got a reputation for stepping into areas where their expertise is questionable. It would be reassuring to know if their funds are genuinely helping the Muslim community or just disappearing into the void.

So after all this digging, it seems like we came looking for answers, but we’re kinda leaving with more questions than we started with. Until we get that clarity, the conversation around Jakim’s budget will just feel like cakap kosong.