BPK Monitors Fictitious Budget
Fictitious Budget IDR 8.8 Trillion is suspected to come from the remains of 2014 Regional Budget.
BPK’s Representative Office of Jakarta is paying great attention to the emergence of the alleged fictitious budget of IDR 8.8 Trillion revealed by Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama. They are currently closely monitoring the development of the alleged illegal budget on a daily basis.
"We have heard the news about the alleged IDR 8.8 Trillion fictitious budget in Jakarta’s 2015 Budget Draft. But we are still waiting, because both the governor and the Provincial Legislative Council are still in the correction process due to the allegation" said Efdinal, Head of BPK’s Representative Office of Jakarta to INDOPOS yesterday (22/1).
According to Efdinal, he could not comment further on the case. However, BPK will constantly monitor on the progress of this case. It won’t be until later, when the draft budget is ratified, that BPK will start examining whether the Local Budget of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta in 2015 is executed accordingly or is there any fraudulent activities.
"The audit findings will be revealed in front of Jakarta’s provincial government and Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD) after the 2015 financial year is completed," said Efdinal.
Above it all, Efdinal explained again, frauds must be prevented. Because it can be ensured that when there is fraud, there is an issue in Jakarta’s Local Budget.
"Our role (as BPK) is to check and suggest that fraud budget will not happen again in the future" confirmed Efdinas who was formerly the Head of BPK’s Representative Office of Banten.
Meanwhile, Coordinator of Indonesia for Transparency and Accountability (Infra) Agus Chaerudin stated that fictitious budget in the 2015 Jakarta’s draft budget as revealed by Governor Basuki has been expected by many.
The reason for this is that the 2015 budget came from the remains of 2014 budget; thus, it is used by unscrupulous councilors. "We are no longer surprised to find the fictitious budget re-emerged. We have predicted it for quite some time" Efdinal confirmed.
Meanwhile, Vice Governor of Jakarta Djarot Saiful Hidayat for the umpteenth time agrees with Governor Basuki, that he will not accept such fictitious budgets to be included in Jakarta’s draft budget.
"That (budget) must be discussed in Council’s commissions, Budget Division and others. We will not accept the fictitious budgets. I already told you, no," said Djarot Saiful Hidayat.
Djarot clarified that it can also be communicated with the government given that it consists of the executive and the legislative. By means of communication, he said, fictitious budget will not appear again like it does now.
Djarot also added that Provincial Legislative Council is not the enemy of local government; therefore both parties need to cooperate and open up communication channels. Moreover, for budgeting purposes there are entities such as Jakarta’s Regional Financial Management Agency (BPKD) and Regional Development and Planning Agency.
"If fictitious budget is for funding dissemination program, I am not sure that all of it is for the program. We need to be selective, "Djarot, also an ex-Mayor of Blita, explained further. Djarot hopes that draft budget can soon be endorsed. "If it can be accelerated, why slow it down?" Djarot exclaimed.
Thus, said Djarot again, communication must be intensively be enhanced so that programs can be clearly developed. "Especially since all accounts for the 2015 budget is using e-budgeting system".
Governor Ahok was furious the Jakarta’s Provincial Legislative Council for cancelling a scheduled plenary meeting supposedly held Friday (16/1) where he would deliver a speech responding to fractions’ general comments due to his refusal to endorse the allegedly fictitious budget. This cancellation will slow down the endorsement process of the 2015 budget for the capital city.
Head of Jakarta Legislative Council Prasetio Edi Marsudi and other councilors when meeting Ahok last Monday (19/1) were shocked by the alleged inclusion of fictitious budget amounted IDR 8.8 trillion in the draft budget.
"As councilors, we would like to explain about this (fictional budget) issue. We have not actually given anything to the Regional Planning Agency, but media has already reported this IDR 8.8 trillion budget," said Prasetio Edi Marsudi. In the meeting that lasted about 30 minutes, he claimed of not know anything about the existence of such vague budget submission.
"It was just a miscommunication. I have been busy recently, so has he (Ahok). So, what is it with this news circulated by the media”, the politician from PDI Perjuangan wondered. (wok)
Indo Pos