Mosque Marbot Wage Guidelines Will Be Published Soon

"Becoming a caretaker is a voluntary role and there is no pressure. However, a caretaker can be understood as an informal job that is less strategic because its income depends on the abilities of the mosque and its congregation. For mosques in big cities, the welfare of the caretakers is better," he said when contacted on Friday (March 29, 2024).

Khusna assesses that the caretakers are actually the weaker party and do not have the right to demand for their welfare because there is no contract and it is voluntary in nature.

However, sociologically, certain parties ideally should pay attention to the welfare of caretakers considering they have been taking care of the mosque, making worship much more comfortable.

This welfare also needs to be considered because many mosque marbots have a double workload.

Being a mosque caretaker is a voluntary and pressure-free job. However, being a mosque caretaker is regarded as an unstrategic informal job because the wage depends on the mosque's ability and its congregation.

Until now, many mosque caretakers have been burdened with tasks related to mosque management, cleanliness, and security. Their work ranges from sweeping, mopping, maintaining gardens, guarding the mosque at night, to taking on the role of the muezzin.

"Without caretakers demanding, certain parties from the mosque and local government ideally should also pay attention to their welfare. Because, caretakers are not just the backbone, but also the lifeblood for mosques that have dual workloads," he said.

Society participation

Director General of Islamic Community Development at the Ministry of Religion, Kamaruddin Amin, acknowledged that the welfare of mosque caretakers, known as "marbot," is still a collective task. Although the mosque is a place of worship owned by the community, its management, including the marbot, cannot be fully confirmed by the government.

"Community participation, contribution and collaboration are mandatory," said Kamaruddin in an interview with Kompas TV some time ago.

Also read: Mosque Marbots Are Still Far From Prosperous

Given its significant role, Kamaruddin mentioned that the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) will continue to strive to welfare the mosque caretakers (marbot). One of the efforts is being done by designing and soon issuing a wage or honorarium guideline for mosque caretakers.

According to Kamaruddin, the wage for caretakers can come from various sources, including the State Budget (APBN), Regional Budgets (APBD) at the provincial, district, and city levels, as well as other sources such as the National Zakat Agency (Baznas) and residents.

The amount of honorarium for caretakers will be adjusted according to the typology of the mosque, such as national mosques, grand mosques, great mosques, large mosques, and central mosques. In addition, the honorarium will be adjusted according to the monthly mosque revenue.

Marbot special budget

The Secretary General of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI), Imam Ad Daruquthni, stated that mosque managers should allocate a special budget for the caretakers of the mosque. The Jakarta Provincial Government, together with the DMI, also fosters a collaborative relationship to support the welfare of mosque caretakers.

"We provide an honorarium for mosque caretakers in Jakarta as part of a budget bundle for BOTI or operational assistance for places of worship. This is not only for mosques, but also for places of worship of various religions," he said.

Currently, a number of local governments are allocating funds from their regional budgets to provide support in improving the welfare of mosque caretakers. One of them is the Government of Banyumas Regency, Central Java, which has allocated Rp 250 million from the regional budget as incentives for mosque caretakers throughout Banyumas Regency.

Also read: Local government support contributes to Marbot's prosperity

Through the budget, each mosque's caretaker in Banyumas receives an incentive of Rp 100,000 per month. The incentive is disbursed every semester or every six months, so each caretaker receives Rp 600,000 per caretaker. The incentive funds are given with the aim of increasing the caretakers' enthusiasm in developing the mosque.

Meanwhile, the Banjarmasin City Government, South Kalimantan, has also allocated a budget of IDR 11.7 billion from the APBD. The budget is allocated for transportation assistance for around 2,600 ustaz, ustazah, Koran recitation teachers and marbot in Banjarmasin (Kompas, 28/3/2024).