Vice President Ma’ruf Amin stated in Lagoi, Bintan District, on Thursday that Riau Islands (Kepri) Province could become one of the pioneers of Shariah economic and financial development in Indonesia.
“Riau Islands can be considered to have an advanced Islamic economic and financial sector (as) compared to other regions in Indonesia,” Amin remarked at the inauguration of the Riau Islands Province Regional Committee for Islamic Economy and Finance (KDEKS).
It was reflected in the conversion of regional government-owned conventional Bank Riau Kepri (BRK) to become BRK Shariah that was conducted in a proper and smooth manner, he noted.
The vice president lauded the positive and improved financial performance of the Shariah bank in 2022 as compared to that recorded in the previous year.
“The growth of Islamic banking assets reached 160 percent, and Islamic financing has grown 80 percent year on year,” he pointed out.
Furthermore, he encouraged the Kepri Provincial KDEKS to put in hard and sincere work to encourage development of the Shariah economy and finance in the region.
Amin also pushed for the development of a halal product ecosystem to support the halal certification program in the province.
The vice president believes that the ecosystem can be established through efforts, such as collaborating with related stakeholders to drive economic activities at Islamic boarding schools, for instance, by building cooperatives within the educational institutions.
“The implementation of Shariah economy is not only for Muslims but also for the entire community since it is an economic system, which is rahmatan lil ‘alamin, meaning it is a blessing for the whole world,” he remarked.
The vice president also expects that the establishment of KDEKS will encourage the government and community to develop Riau Islands to become a prosperous and competitive province.
He is optimistic that the economic committee’s coordination and synergy with all stakeholders will be able to develop Riau Islands Province as the driver of Islamic economic and financial growth in Indonesia.
The Riau Islands KDEKS is expected to produce new and constructive ideas for development of the regional economy and sharia ecosystem.
“Continue to explore various superior potentials of Shariah economy in the Riau Islands Province, such as in (the areas of) marine tourism, culture, religious tourism, and history,” Amin stated.—Antara news
