KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 -- The government has agreed to increase the allowance for takmir (religious) teachers at mosques from RM800 to RM900 per month through Budget 2021 to appreciate the contributions of 4,000 individuals who galvanise the community at the congregational level.

Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz also announced a one-off payment of RM500 to mosque imam, bilal (muezzins), siak (caretakers), noja (assistants) and marbut (managers), as well as takmir and KAFA teachers, which was expected to benefit almost 700,000 recipients.

Tengku Zafrul said these were among the government’s initiatives in upholding the greatness of Islam under the inclusiveness agenda, which saw RM1.4 billion allocated for Islamic affairs and development under the Prime Minister’s Department.

“The government will also enhance wakaf (endowment) management through collaboration between Yayasan Wakaf Malaysia and federal government agencies, government-linked companies (GLCs) and government-linked investment companies (GLICs).

“A National Wakaf Master Plan will be drawn up to ensure a more efficient endowment management to maximise the mobilisation of future endowment assets,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tengku Zafrul said RM11.1 billion would be provided to support the Bumiputera development agenda in order to reduce disparity between the races.

“Among others, RM6.5 billion will be allocated for quality education by Bumiputera institutions such as Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) in offering specific programmes such as digitalisation of TVET learning methods, and upgrading from certificate-level programmes to diploma level,” he said.

He also said that RM510 million would be provided for the purpose of financing Bumiputera small-medium enterprises (SMEs) and micro SMEs through TEKUN and Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad (PUNB).

“Another RM2 billion is allocated for financing Bumiputera SMEs through Syarikat Jaminan Pembiayaan Perniagaan, while RM1.3 billion is for various capacity-building programmes, including professional development, Dana Kemakmuran Bumiputera as well as specific programmes for Bumiputeras,” he said.

Tengku Zafrul said RM750 million would be for Pelaburan Hartanah Berhad under the 12th Malaysia Plan to increase the Bumiputera equity holding value in the real estate sector, especially for commercial development on Malay reserve land.

-- BERNAMA