Cases of Village Funds Misuse Down, Village Minister Says
Minister of Village, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Eko Putro Sandjojo (Photo by: IST)
There has been a decrease in a number of cases related to village fund misuse, according to Minister of Village, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Eko Putro Sandjojo.
According to him, less than 100 cases were found last year in a total of 74,957 villages. Out of those 100 cases, only 67 reports were subject to be examined, he added.
Eko added that village heads who are not proven guilty of embezzling village funds should not be criminalized and if that happens, they have the rights to report it to the Village Fund Task Force. Village heads may report it to the Village Fund Task Force should they get criminalized, Eko told reporters in Jakarta on Monday (1/4).
Eko also called on the public to report to the Village Fund Task Force if they found any indication of village fund irregularities and misuses committed by certain individuals or even village heads.
Please report it to law enforcement officers, the police or prosecutors. If you are not satisfied, you can contact the Village Fund Task Forces hotline number at 1500040. If the data is complete, we will immediately send a team and guidance, said Eko.
Last year, we received 100 cases, 67 of which have been examined. Compared to the number of villages which is 74,957 villages, the cases are small in number. However, we will not let it happen, he said.
Eko went on to say that misuse of village funds is not only caused by chances to do so but also by a lack of supervision. For this reason, he called on the public to play their role in overseeing village funds, adding that direct supervision from the public is the most effective way to monitor use of village funds.
In the village, the supervision is officially held under the provincial inspectorate, regency inspectorate, and Village, District Community Empowerment Office. The most important thing is the public. The prosecutors and the police should also get involved to assist, Eko said. (Ministry of Village, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration PR/ES)
Translated by: Muhardi
Edited by: M. Ersan Pamungkas
