Tens of Trillions of Rupiah in De-Concentration Funds Not Clear
Monday, 29 January, 2007 | 14:06 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The status of de-concentration funds, the total amount of which is estimated to have reached tens of trillions of Rupiah, is not clear.

According to Hekinus Manao, Director of Accounting and Financial Reporting at the Finance Department, up until now neither the central nor regional governments wanted to be responsible for de-concentration funds disbursed so far.

In the government’s financial statement, he said, de-concentration funds were one of the causes of difference between realization of budget at departments and realization of budget expenditure in the State Budget.

“The funds were disbursed, but nobody reported it,” said Hekinus last weekend.

The use of de-concentration funds is varied in many departments, especially departments that still have networks in regions such as the National Education Department, the Agriculture Department, the Cooperatives Department, the Fishery and Maritime Affairs Department and the Transmigration Department.

Hekinus acknowledged the government’s accounting system was still weak.

This is because only last year that the government started labeling which funds were de-concentration funds and which were not.

Hekinus explained that de-concentration funds were central budget funds the management of which had been handed over to regional officials.

According to the law, de-concentration funds are separate from Regional Budgets and are included in the State Budget.

Agus Supriyanto