To Continue the Roadmap of Transparency and Accountability of the Regional Financial Management
Bahrullah Akbar being Inaugurated again as the BPK’s Board Member
The Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia (BPK) is committed to continue the roadmap of transparency and accountability of the regional financial management that is now being implemented. “The financial management will be focused on three things or dimensions namely time, activity and money,” Bahrullah Akbar said after inaugurated as the new Board Member of the BPK by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, H.M. Hatta Ali at the Supreme Court Building in Jakarta on Tuesday (11/8). The ceremony were attended by several government’s officials such as the Minister of Internal Affairs, Tjahjo Kumolo, the Minister of Health, Nila Moeloek, Chairman and other Board Members of the BPK.
Bahrullah stated that in drawing up financial statements, the heads of regions are faced by the time constraint as stipulated in the law. The timely manner is important as the financial statements will be the basis in formulating regional expense budget. “If finalized on time, it will be actual and can be the reference in formulating the next regional budget,” he said.
For the activity dimension, he further explained, Regional Heads should use accrual basis when drawing the financial statements. Regional governments have to have maximum target to gain unqualified opinion. “We can see that the progress is quite good, there are now many regions gaining unqualified opinions because they took it seriously when drawing financial statements system that in line with the governmental accounting system,” he continued.
Finally, he added that financial statements should improve the value of money among regional people. “The ending is that all are for people’s welfare. The transparency of the financial management makes the budget use is highly accountable,” he said.
It might be well noted that Bahrullah’s inauguration as the BPK’s Board Member for the period of 2016-2021 is based on the Presidential Decree Number 118/P/2016 regarding the Discharge with Respect and Assignation of the BPK’s Board Members. In this Decree, the President officially discharges with respect Bahrullah Akbar as the BPK’s Board Member for the period of 2011-2016 and officially assigns him again as the new Board Member for the period of 2016-2021. Thus, with this Decree, Bahrullah takes office as the Board Member for the second term.
Bahrullah Akbar was appointed as the BPK’s Board Member for the second term through the voting mechanism by members of the Commission XI of the House of Representatives on Wednesday (9/21). He collected 30 voices beating two other candidates, Abdul Latief and Anggito Abimanyu, who respectively gained 17 and 9 voices. The voting was taken after the commission failed to agree upon which candidate appropriate to be the BPK’s new Board Member.
Bahrullah was officially appointed as the BPK’s Board Member after the House of Representatives held the plenary session regarding the report of the Commission XI of the House of Representatives on the result of the fit and proper test of candidates for the BPK’s Board Member on October 4. The BPK is not a new place for Bahrullah. Before appointed for the second term, Bahrullah, who holds a Doctor degree from the Padjajaran University, Bandung, was the BPK’s auditor during 1985-1996.
Between 1996-2004, he was a trainer in the BPK. From 2003 to 2004, he moved to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to be the special staff of the Secretary General of the Ministry. This alumnus of the University of Hull, England, later became the staff of the Directorate General of Regional Finance of the same Ministry from 2005 to 2007, before finally became the expert staff of the Regency of Lingga, Riau Archipelago Province (2007-2011) and appointed as the BPK’s Board Member of 2011-2016.
Indo Pos (Wednesday, November 9, 2016, page 2)