Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – The Religious Harmony Index (KUB Index) in Indonesia for 2024 has been recorded at 76.47, marking a 0.45-point increase compared to 2023. The Research and Development Agency for Education and Training of the Ministry of Religious Affairs conducts regular surveys of the KUB Index.
Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Saiful Rahmat Basuki highlighted that the KUB Index has exhibited a positive trend. The index stood at 73.09 in 2022, followed by 76.02 in 2023 and 76.47 in 2024.
He asserted that this upward trend illustrates an improvement in the level of tolerance among religious groups in the archipelago.
"One of the factors contributing to this increase is the Ministry of Religious Affairs' various efforts to promote and internalize the strengthening of religious moderation through various programs and activities," Saiful said during his speech at the Launching of the Joint Secretariat and Implementation Monitoring Application of Religious Moderation (API-MB) in Jakarta, as cited in a press release on Friday, October 4, 2024.
According to him, despite the encouraging trend shown by the index, challenges persist in maintaining religious harmony. "Some cases of intolerance and the attitudes of religious groups that have not demonstrated moderate behavior continue to occur in various regions," Saiful acknowledged.
In response, the President has issued a Presidential Regulation (Perpres) on Strengthening Religious Moderation, mandating the establishment of a Joint Secretariat (Sekber) in a bid to enhance coordination in implementing religious moderation at the ministerial/agency and regional government levels.
Saiful explained that the religious moderation strengthening program includes several scopes, including strengthening perspectives, attitudes, and moderate religious practices for state officials, protecting religious rights in programs and public services according to the duties and functions of each ministry/agency.
"There is also a program that focuses on managing places of worship from a religious moderation perspective and utilizing religious and cultural celebrations to foster tolerance," Saiful concluded.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1924348/govt-religious-harmony-index-reaches-new-heights-in-202