Jakarta, April 3 (Antara) - The government has positively welcomed a
recommendation made by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) that
social assistance funds (Bansos) be managed by one institution to
prevent misappropriation and to make supervision much easier.
"We need to be careful in the disbursement of the social aid funds. We
welcome the KPK recommendation and hail it as a positive suggestion,"
Finance Minister Chatib Basri affirmed on Tuesday.
He stated that the government hailed the KPK recommendation that the
management of social assistance funds be centered in one institution so
that they could be distributed accurately for the interest of social
purposes.
The
KPK had earlier written to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono regarding
the use of the social aid funds. "We need to announce today that the
KPK has sent a letter to the President on the management of the social
aid funds," KPK Spokesman Johan Budi noted in his office on Tuesday
(March 25).
Johan explained that one of the points covered in the letter asked the
President to issue an instruction on the handling of the funds. "So far,
the Bansos have been managed separately by various ministries. After
conducting an assessment, we have sent a letter to the president
suggesting that the management of the assistance be carried out only by
the Ministry of Social Affairs. Other ministries should not manage
social aid funds," the KPK spokesman reiterated.
Based on data from the Ministry of Finance, there are 15 ministries and
agencies, which manage social aid funds amounting to Rp91.8 trillion
from the 2014 state budget.
The ministries and agencies are the Home Affairs (which manages Rp9.4
trillion), Agriculture Ministry (Rp5.3 trillion), Tourism and Creative
Economy Ministry (Rp49 billion), Education and Culture Ministry (Rp28.3
trillion), Health Ministry (Rp19.9 trillion), Religious Affairs Ministry
(Rp12.6 trillion), Manpower and Transmigration Ministry (Rp32.6
billion), Social Affairs Ministry (Rp5.3 trillion), Marine Affairs and
Fisheries Ministry (611.4 billion), Public Housing Ministry (Rp1.7
trillion), Public Works Ministry (Rp3.9 trillion), Cooperatives and
Small Scale Enterprises Ministry (Rp285 billion), Less Advantage Region
Ministry (Rp766.5 billion), National Disasters Mitigation Agency/BNPB
(Rp50 billion) and Sidoarjo Mudflood Handling Agency/BPLS (Rp4.7
billion) plus disaster reserve funds amounting to Rp3 trillion.
According to Minister Chatib Basri, the finance ministry will
coordinate with the KPK regarding its recommendation that the funds be
managed by one institution or by the ministry of social affairs in the
interest of social assistance. The use of the funds should be regulated
through a good grand design and be implemented based on prudent
principles.
"The government views the KPK recommendation as good input. There are
rules that must be paid attention to, so that they will not be used by
certain groups for personal interest," he clarified.
Therefore, prudence is needed in the disbursement of the Bansos so that
its use will not be misappropriated. He added that that the use of
about 86 percent of the total Rp91 trillion Bansos had previously been
programmed.
Thus, the funds, whose programs have previously
been made, such as the National Program for Self-Reliant People's
Empowerment (PNPM) will remain to be used but under tight supervision.
"However, the use of funds for ad hoc programs need to be coordinated,"
he asserted.
For this, the minister explained that President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono pointed out that several ministries such as the ministries of
home affairs, the ministry of finance and the Government's Development
Finance Comptroller (BPKP) should coordinate with the KPK.
Therefore, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono positively supported the
KPK recommendation. "We will respond to the KPK recommendation,"
President Yudhoyono informed a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The President affirmed that disbursement of the funds needed to be put
in order, particularly at the time of general elections campaign period
now. He confirmed that the KPK has recommended something good and should
be further discussed.
"The main point of KPK's letter has suggested that the social funds
available in the central and regional governments' budgets be allocated
in a prudent manner. I think what KPK has recommended is right, and I
support the commission," he reiterated.
President Yudhoyono added that he has even ordered the finance minister
and minister of home affairs to work with the antigraft body to
classify the social aid funds that must legally be used for the social
protection of the needy.
In the meantime, Social Affairs Minister Segaf Al Jufri confirmed that
his ministry was ready, if trusted, to handle in a single management,
the assistance funds, which have so far been separately managed by 15
ministries and institutions.
"We are ready to manage the funds and I think it will be better.
Programs related to them could be more focused," the minister
emphasized, after opening a coordination meeting on the Family of Hope
Improvement Program (PKH).
Of the total Rp90 trillion Bansos across 15 ministries and agencies,
only Rp5.5 trillion is being handled by the Ministry of Social Affairs.
The
minister pointed out that the funds under the management of the social
affairs ministry were used for assisting people with serious
disabilities, neglected elderly and those who were accommodated at
orphanages.
"They badly need assistance. For them social assistance is a must. So,
it would be better for all the social assistance funds to be diverted to
them," the minister remarked.
The ministry of social affairs will also coordinate with the KPK to
monitor the use of the social aid assistance to manage and handle
misappropriation. "We can ask the KPK to monitor the use of funds from
the beginning," Secretary General of the Ministry of Social Affairs Toto
Utomo Budi Santosa asserted, meanwhile.
Toto mentioned that Law No 13/2011 on handling the poor had clearly
stipulated that the Ministry of Social Affairs was the leading ministry
in that department.
"The ministry of social affairs is clearly aware of the efforts to
reduce poverty. We often propose a bigger budget for the reduction of
poverty but the approved budget has always been small," the secretary
general pointed out.***3***
(T.A014/INE/H-YH)
EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/A/Yosep) 03-04-2014 17 |
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