HEADLINES

Jakarta, BPK Public Relations – Government’s program in handling Covid-19 pandemic integrating the handling of health, social, economic and financial issues is a test for the resilience and reliability of current governance. The government’s responses on Covid-19 will have impacts to many aspects, including expenditures and public services in the following years.

This was conveyed by Chairman of the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia (BPK) Agung Firman Sampurna when giving an opening remarks on Entry Meeting of Audit on State Financial Management and Accountability in Covid-19 Pandemic Handling Year 2020, held virtually, on Monday (14/4/2020).

The virtual meeting was attended by BPK Vice Chairman Agus Joko Pramono, BPK Board Member I Hendra Susanto, BPK Board Member II Pius Lustrilanang, BPK Board Member III Achsanul Qosasi, BPK Board Member V Bahrullah Akbar, BPK Board Member VII Daniel Lumban Tobing and BPK High Officials.

Meanwhile, from the government side, the meeting was attended by the Covid-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Policy Committees among others Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister of Human Development Muhadjir Effendy, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto, Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir, Head of National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Doni Monardo and Head of Financial and Development Supervisory Agency M. Yusuf Ateh.

BPK Chairman further said that in implementing this program, extraordinary efforts are needed to carry out this major program in a transparent, accountable and effective manner. It thus required not only commitment, but also competence and high dedication from involved managers, as well as good assurance for transparency, accountability, effectiveness of the Covid-19 handling and National Economic Recovery. For this purposes, risk based comprehensive audit is carried out.

On this opportunity, BPK as a Supreme Audit Institution would play its role optimally, not only in terms of oversight carried out by identifying analyzes and evaluation that produce audit findings, conclusion and recommendation, but also in terms of insight related to system improvement needed to improve the quality of governance, as well as in terms of foresight carried out to provide options for expected public policies.

“As a result, in addition to Audit Report, we will also provide opinion materials related to system improvement and policy scenarios which is planned to be entitled “Indonesia Remade by Covid: Scenarios for Resilient Leaders (Membentuk kembali Indonesia melalui Penanganan Covid-19: Skenario bagi Para Pemimpin Tangguh)”,” BPK Chairman said.

Indonesia is indeed not ready to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and no country is ready either. The problem faced is so rapidly massive and complex, and that it is impossible to deal with it sporadically, sectoral or individually. Unity in steps is highly needed to deal with this emergency situation. We unify not only our steps, but also our heart and mind. We needed to build trust and develop togetherness so that we could collaborate and work together.

“We hope in such pressing situation as today, the Entry Meeting is expected to be a starting point to work hard according to each duties and authorities, and to support and strengthen each other through good, transparent and accountable governance so that Indonesia can survive, recover and rise,” he concluded.

Furthermore, BPK Board Member III, as the Coordinator of Working Group on Covid-19 Audit Steering Committee, in his remarks stated that the presence of BPK in the midst of Ministries/Institutions as the executor of state finance is to ensure that the Ministries/Institutions are more confident in carrying out their duties. Later, there would be BPK Auditor Team in each Ministries/Institutions’ offices so that discussion could be held anytime and there would be no more doubts in implementing activities. Consequently, each Ministries/Institutions could work quickly and without any hesitation which in turn would increase the absorption and be directly enjoyed by Indonesian people.

“BPK auditor team has discussed with team of the ministries and institution for having same perception so that there is a common point of view (mindset) in responding from the executor and the auditor of the state finance. BPK has even discussed with National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), Ministry of Finance, BNPB and Ministry of Home Affairs and other relevant ministries in developing Audit Guidelines and Programs in the form of Focus Group Discussion, which in turn what will become the mindset of BPK as the auditor, will be in line with the mindset of the state financial manager,” BPK Board Member III explained.

“We ask the ministries/institutions to support data and information related to the implementation of Covid-19 handling and to have an active communication between BPK auditor team and team of each ministries/institutions,” he said.

“We ask for permission to the head of each ministries/institutions that starting today until the completion of audit on Covid-19 handling, BPK will provide opportunities to the ministries/institutions for having discussion, coordination and direct communication with BPK if there are any important things for the sake of the realization of transparency and accountability,” he concluded.