Do not Eembezzle Bansos fund

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

The Covid-19 social assistance package was distributed by the Ministry of Social Affairs at RW 006 Pegangsaan Urban Village, Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Monday (26/10/2020).

The government has disbursed a social relief (Bansos) fund again in January 2021. The disbursed Bansos fund totals Rp 110 trillion.

The fund comprises taxpayers’ money. It is raised from tax as well as non-tax revenues. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has ordered his ministers and regional heads to monitor the disbursement of the fund, so recipients can receive it quickly, effectively, and without any irregularities.

It is sensible for President Jokowi to make such a statement. The public is disappointed and angry with the report that high officials tried to embezzle the fund for their private or group interests. Em-bezzling the Bansos fund is a disgraceful act, breaking the people’s trust in the government.

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The Rp 110 trillion Bansos fund is disbursed through several programs. Asides from the regular Bansos fund, there is also the Family Hope Program (PKH) – previously known as non-cash food relief – and cash transfers for people whose livelihoods are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Social Af-fairs Minister Tri Rismaharani explained that the PKH targeted 10 million families, followed by the staple food card program targeting 18.8 million families, as well as cash transfer program for 10 mil-lion families.

In the future, these programs needs to be merged into a single program, preferably in the form of a cash transfer.

The existence of multiple social relief programs in their own bureaucratic terms may confuse the people. It is likely that the people do not understand the kinds of relief received from each program. In the future, these programs needs to be merged into a single program, preferably in the form of a cash transfer.

SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN

Social Af-fairs Minister Tri Rismaharani reports on the launch of cash assistance in 2021 at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Monday (4/12/2020).

The merger should be followed by improvements in data and information technology management. The system must be designed with transparency and accountability in mind, so the public can access it, verifying the relief goes to the right recipients. Transparency is important to ensure public partici-pation in monitoring the fund and encouraging them to report any irregularities in disbursement. If the disbursed fund totals Rp 300,000, then the amount received by recipients should be exactly the same. A systemic approach and accurate data collection is necessary to avoid duplicate relief pay-ments.

In the longer-term, however, there is a need to improve data manage-ment, centralized under one ministry to improve monitoring.

For the short-term, the social affairs minister should ensure the accuracy of the disbursement and not tolerate any irregularities. In the longer-term, however, there is a need to improve data manage-ment, centralized under one ministry to improve monitoring.

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Our leaders should remember a saying from Agus Salim, a drafter of the 1945 Constitution, in which leading means suffering. Agus Salim should be the role model. But some of our leaders have not made him the role model, as they take advantage of their public position to enrich themselves.

In the middle of an uncontrolled pandemic and economic recession, we should push the government to work toward consolidation. Our country must unite, tolerating each other, and struggle to get out from this crisis together.

(This article was translated by Lionel Priyadi).