Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) paid Rp50 million `zakat mal` or obligatory tithe through the National Alms Agency (Baznas) on Monday.

Jokowi, the Vice-President, Jusuf Kalla, ministers and other high state officials pay their obligatory tithes through Baznas, which opened 30 counters at the State Palace on Monday. The Vice-President also paid zakat mal of Rp50 million.

The President said giving zakat was a beautiful religious duty in Islam, which is a religion of grace for the whole world. "Through zakat we share with the recipients, share fortune, share the sense of brotherhood, share the worship, share happiness especially in this holy month of Ramadan," he said.

"May the zakat we spend perfect the fast, and perfect our obedience, our piety to God," he said.

Cabinet ministers, including about 300 high officials in the ministries/institutions as well as the top executives of state-owned companies (SOEs), attended the event.

The Chairman of Baznas, Bambang Sudibyo, said that zakat was increasingly playing a role in government poverty alleviation programmes.

"The Research Centre for Strategic Studies of Baznas in 2017 showed that the distribution and utilisation of zakat managed to increase the income of mustahik (recipients), poor people as much as 27 per cent a year," he said.

Last year the national ZIS (charity) payment reached Rp6.24 trillion and this year it is targeted to reach Rp8 trillion.

Reported by Hanni Sofia
(A014/INE )
(T.SYS/A/KR-BSR/B/H-YH)