Perception that waqf funds only for Muslims must be corrected - Cuepacs

KUALA LUMPUR: The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) wants the misunderstanding about the waqf (endowment) funds being only for Muslims to be corrected.

Its president, Adnan Mat said the concept of wafq was for the well-being of humankind as a whole and, as such, Cuepacs hoped that Yayasan Wakaf Malaysia (YWM), with the involvement of the state Islamic Religious Councils, would implement various initiatives to strengthen the involvement of the people, especially the non-Muslim communities, in developing the waqf funds.

"The perception that wafq funds are specifically for Muslims must be done away with in the thinking of the people through approaches which are more non-Muslim friendly.

"In the context of the public service, Cuepacs hopes all heads of departments will play an active role to encourage officers and personnel to be involved in cash waqf contributions through salary deductions.

"Channel information clearly on the role and importance of waqf so that civil servants will better understand why their salaries are deducted," he said in a statement today.

He also urged the 1.6 million civil servants to be involved in cash waqf contributions through voluntary periodical salary deductions so as to beef up the role of waqf for the national economic development and boosting the socio-economic level of the people, regardless of religion and race.

Adnan said the government's move to approve the General Circular No 1/ 2020 on voluntary cash waqf salary deductions for civil servants at the federal and state levels was a facility that all civil servants must take full advantage of.

"Imagine if each of the 1.6 million civil servants contribute an average of RM10 a month for waqf contributions, around RM192 million will definitely be collected each year for the fund from civil servants alone.

"However, a more effective effort must be carried out by the government, especially the YWM, to convince and encourage the involvement of civil servants, especially non-Muslims,'' he said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, when launching the 2021 National Waqf Month, said an initiative has to be formulated at the federal level to encourage civil servants to make waqf contributions in order to increase the country's waqf fund savings and assets.

-- BERNAMA