The Ministry of Religious Affairs is implementing talent management as the foundation for a merit system that is more transparent, objective, and inclusive. The move is expected to open equal opportunities for all civil servants (ASN), including women, to develop into competent leaders based on their capacity and performance.

Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, affirmed that digitalization serves as a key instrument in simplifying bureaucracy while ensuring that talent management is carried out more fairly.

“Digitalization will help us move beyond a complicated bureaucracy. The concept of digitalizing state officials across ministries and agencies will also strengthen the talent management system, making it more objective,” the Minister said in Jakarta on Tuesday (7/21/2026).

According to the Minister, this transformation is not simply about the use of technology, but also serves as a pathway toward more equal career opportunities. “One of the outcomes we want to achieve through talent management is the realization of gender equity. Every civil servant must have an equal opportunity to grow and hold positions based on their competence,” he said.

“So, job placements within the Ministry of Religious Affairs are carried out based on integrity and competence. This is important in order to promote professionalism, prevent corruption, collusion, and nepotism (KKN), and ensure that placements are not based on personal favoritism,” he added.

The Minister has instructed the Ministry's Human Resources Bureau to promptly prepare a guidebook on the implementation of talent management, so that all civil servants share a common understanding of the mechanisms for merit-based career development. He also expressed hope that every civil servant will maintain a performance record documented in an ASN work sheet.

Secretary General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Kamaruddin Amin, said the Ministry has just received approval from the National Civil Service Agency (BKN) to fully implement talent management. “We have just received approval from BKN to implement talent management. The most important thing now is outreach, so that all civil servants understand how to build a competency portfolio as the basis for career development through the merit system,” he said.

According to Kamaruddin, the success of talent management implementation depends heavily on the involvement of all civil servants. “I hope all civil servants within the Ministry of Religious Affairs actively participate in this system. Beyond participation, they also need to have adequate understanding of how talent management works, so they can properly prepare themselves,” he said.

He added that the purpose of talent management extends beyond simply mapping employees. “Our task is not only to map the talents of civil servants, but also to affirmatively support those whose competencies are still lower, helping them improve through ongoing coaching and development,” he explained.

Head of the Human Resources Bureau at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Muhammad Zain, added that the implementation of talent management forms part of efforts to strengthen the merit system and good, clean governance, as well as to provide greater certainty in civil servants' career development, applying not only to structural positions, but to functional positions as well.

“This is in line with the direction of national development,” Zain said.

According to him, the implementation of talent management within the Ministry of Religious Affairs is already grounded in a solid regulatory framework, including Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs Number 1871 of 2025 on Guidelines for the Implementation of ASN Talent Management within the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministerial Decree Number 205 of 2025 on the Talent Committee, and Secretary General's Decree Number 120 of 2026 on the Secretariat of the Ministry of Religious Affairs ASN Talent Committee.

Talent management refers to the process of recruiting, identifying, developing, retaining, and placing employees professionally in accordance with their competencies and qualifications, in support of carrying out institutional strategy and taking the strategic steps an institution requires.

One of the key advantages of talent management is a more transparent and accountable assessment process, involving competency assessments and comprehensive evaluation, including 360-degree assessment incorporating input from supervisors and colleagues. The system also allows talented civil servants within the Ministry of Religious Affairs to enter a national talent pool to fill strategic positions across ministries and agencies.