KUCHING: The Sarawak government has given RM1 million to Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) to start a concept related to waqf.
Waqf (also spelled awkaf) is an Arabic word meaning assets that are donated, bequeathed, or purchased for being held in perpetual trust for general or specific charitable causes that are socially beneficial.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said that the responsibility given to UNIMAS to implement the waqf concept needs to be expanded and broadened and not limited to one area only.
“Like Harvard, Stamford and Cambridge Universities, they have funds used for research in all three universities … this is also part of our effort for UNIMAS to expand this waqf concept.
“Therefore, with this fund, we hope that this waqf will give more returns to the people of Sarawak and thus be able to change our economy in Sarawak,” he said.
He said this in a press conference after officiating at the International Conference on Waqf & Endowment (ICWE) 2023 held at a hotel here, today.
Abang Johari also believed that UNIMAS had a group of experts that could manage funds from the Sarawak government to start a broader concept regarding waqf.
However, he said it is up to UNIMAS to use these funds in their projects.
“Perhaps they can use part of it (funds) for research in the waqf field because it will also contribute to the state later,” he added.
At the same time, he also called on the community to be more open about the concept of waqf in Islam, which of course does not only focus on one area but on other areas, especially asset management.
“Depending on an individual’s intention, most of our society in Sarawak is limited to doing waqf in one field such as land waqf.
“However, aside from land waqf, we should also do waqf in various fields such as science for us to explore other assets that can give returns to society in general,” he said.
