President: Corruption is Still Haunting Us
Tuesday, 12 December, 2006 | 18:05 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono affirmed that corruption is still haunting Indonesia despite his evaluation that there has been improvement during the last two years. “Quite a high index of corruption perception in 2006 has signaled that corruption is still haunting our country,” he said when opening the National Working Meeting of Government Internal Supervision Monday evening (12/11) in Jakarta.

He cited the government financial report that the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) showed that it was as if the government could yet manage state finance transparently. It showed that there was a failure risk of fiscal management as a booster of national economic growth.

Regional autonomy, having been carried out since 1999, he added, still demonstrated a case of regional government management that was yet to run effectively. Management of State-Owned and Regional-owned Enterprises has not yet seen global competing power as regards productivity and efficiency. “We are also aware that we need to improve public services in increasing the well-being of regional people.”

The problems, he explained, would be the responsibility of Finance and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) and all officials who control the government internally whose role must be improved. “The capability and competency of accounting and forensics must also be improved.”

BPKP and all officials of internal supervision, he affirmed, must reposition and revitalize the system, mechanism and working procedure of the government. So far, he said, government internal supervision is yet to become the basis for implementing BPK's task.

“Perform the function and competency of supervision ,” he said. BPKP has also been asked to truly audit and evaluate the program of government officials.

Badriah