pandemic , which has become a global scourge, has had a significant impact on many people. What began as a public health crisis has morphed into a multidimensional crisis, one of which is economic. In Indonesia, this economic impact has been palpable. According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the Indonesian economy grew by only 2.97 percent in the first quarter of 2020. This clearly indicates an economic slowdown following the implementation of restrictions on public activity, such as work-from-home recommendations and large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), since the announcement of the first COVID-19 case in Indonesia on March 2.

This is in line with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s prediction that Indonesia's economy would only grow around 0.5 percent in 2020, but could rebound to around 8 percent in 2021 as the economic recovery progresses. Therefore, it is not surprising that the government has recently been promoting the concept of the "new normal," or, in other words, the new normal. This concept implies that community activities, particularly economic ones, are expected to return to normal, but with adherence to various health protocols to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, for which there is currently no vaccine. This adherence to health protocols is crucial, given that the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Indonesia has surpassed 100,000, so reopening economic activity should not lead to the emergence of new clusters of virus transmission.

Despite the controversy surrounding the aforementioned discourse, economic activity needs to be resumed, adapting to the COVID-19 situation. Slowing economic activity has had a serious impact on both employers and workers. The pandemic's impact is particularly felt by informal workers who rely on daily income and employees laid off due to disrupted business operations. If economic conditions are not improved, there is concern that an explosion of unemployment will occur, which could exacerbate poverty and social inequality in Indonesia.

The new normal will be marked by the promotion of a number of health protocol behaviors in public places, such as maintaining a minimum distance of 1 meter, wearing masks, conducting body temperature checks, and promoting the habit of washing hands with soap or hand sanitizer. This is of course inseparable from the current pandemic situation, which is highly susceptible to transmission through unhygienic contact and the respiratory tract. In other words, there are several things that the wider community needs to adapt to ensure normal activities and economic recovery, while also hopefully preventing the pandemic from spreading further.

However, given that the COVID-19 pandemic is not only a public health crisis but also has a significant impact on the economy, it is also necessary to promote a "new normal" in economic activities. This is because even under normal economic conditions, which in Indonesia have generally seen economic growth of at least 5 percent in recent years, problems related to public welfare, particularly poverty and social inequality, remain.

Based on the release of the Statistics Indonesia (BPS) based on the National Socioeconomic Survey (Susenas) in September 2019, the number of poor people in Indonesia was recorded at 24.8 million people, or approximately 9.22 percent of the total population. Furthermore, during the same period, the level of social inequality in Indonesia, measured using the Gini ratio, was at 0.382, indicating inequality at the middle level. Furthermore, in September 2018, BPS recorded that the expenditure structure was dominated by the 20 percent with the highest income, contributing 45.56 percent of public consumption expenditure. Meanwhile, the 40 percent of the middle class and the 40 percent of the lowest class contributed 36.96 percent and 17.47 percent, respectively.

Therefore, future economic behavior cannot simply rely on market mechanisms; social aspects must also be strengthened. This is because the pandemic has taught us that when the economy is not running as it should, mutual cooperation and social or philanthropic donations such as zakat and waqf can be solutions to meet community needs in times of emergency, especially for the poor.

In other words, market-based economic mechanisms oriented toward efficiency and growth must be complemented by philanthropic mechanisms to ensure equitable distribution of prosperity across society. However, these philanthropic mechanisms must not make recipients dependent on donor assistance; rather, they must be empowering and sustainable. Therefore, it is hoped that these philanthropic mechanisms can serve as a long-term social safety net for the community.

In the author's view, waqf in the new normal era should become the new norm in society. Productive waqf management, if optimized, can stimulate the economy, and the resulting profits can be channeled into sustainable funding for the education, health, and community economic empowerment sectors, which are expected to achieve equitable and comprehensive prosperity throughout society.

Waqf, as a new practice today, requires several factors to operate optimally. First, the use of information technology in waqf management needs to be improved. This encompasses at least several aspects of waqf management, such as community outreach, a digital-based waqf donation payment system, and a waqf management information system.

Second, synergy between waqf management institutions and the government needs to be strengthened to optimize several crucial aspects of waqf management, such as synergy between data on waqf beneficiaries and government aid recipients, and synergy between waqf management programs and government-proclaimed development goals. Furthermore, amendments to the 16-year-old Waqf Law, which accommodate current waqf management practices, are also expected to strengthen waqf in Indonesia. As a new norm, waqf is no longer simply a donation to help others; it must also strengthen the national economy and improve community welfare.

Third, waqf needs to be synergized with the national development agenda, one of which is the sustainable development goals (SDGs). This means that waqf should align with the SDGs movement, particularly in terms of providing waqf benefits to development sectors such as education, health, poverty alleviation, job creation, and environmental issues. Specifically in the health sector, productive waqf management is necessary to strengthen national health resilience post-pandemic, such as through the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medicines, so that the provision of health services does not compromise national economic independence. (*)

*) Raditya Sukmana, Professor of Islamic Economics, researcher at the Center of Islamic Social Finance Intelligence (CISFI) FEB Universitas Airlangga

Source: https://www.jawapos.com/opini/03/08/2020/wakaf-sebagai-kelaziman-baru/