Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Kick-Off Meeting on Audit of State Financial Management and Responsibility in Handling the COVID-19 Pandemic, Tuesday, 8 September 2020, at the State Palace, Jakarta

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Good Morning,

Peace and prosperity be upon as all,

Om Swastiastu,

Namo Buddhaya,

Greetings of virtue.

Distinguished Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Board Members of the Indonesian Supreme Audit Agency (BPK RI);

Distinguished Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia;

Distinguished Ministers of the Indonesia Onward Cabinet;

Distinguished Heads of Non-Ministerial Institutions;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

I warmly welcome today’s event, the Kick-Off Meeting on Audit of State Financial Management and Responsibility in Handling the COVID-19 Pandemic this year. We support this audit to be carried out immediately in order for the audit to enhance the implementation of activities to find solutions for new, better ways of dealing with the crisis. The move is a form of government responsibility, be it the central government, local governments, other state institutions; central bank Bank Indonesia, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), State-Owned Enterprises, Public Service Agencies, and Regional Owned Enterprises, as well as the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) and the National Police (Polri), other institutions or agencies fully support BPK’s steps towards managing state finances in COVID-19 handling in transparent, accountable, and effective manners.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we know, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Government from the center to the regions, including the TNI, Polri, and SOEs, to take extraordinary steps in facing the health and the economic crises. The Government must move swiftly to evacuate Indonesian citizens from the pandemic area. The Government must prepare hospitals, isolation rooms, medical equipment, and medicines in a very short time. The Government must mobilize all apparatus to discipline the public in obeying and following health protocols. All of this must be done in extraordinary, unusual, non-standard ways. Everything should be done in a fast way, with simple procedures, with shortcuts. All of these are for the safety of the people. The safety of the people is more important than the complicated procedures, which we made ourselves, which is due to change.

Extraordinary efforts must be made in the economic sector. Social assistance in the form of basic necessities, social assistance in the form of cash must be done to save the people who are suddenly unemployed, who suddenly have no income. Assistance for MSMEs, wage subsidies, and credit restructuring must also be done rapidly. All of these are done so that economic conditions do not deteriorate further and the people’s economic activities can still proceed.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

All of that… I will reiterate it over and over again to equalize our frequency that we are indeed in a state of crisis. The Government must change the working channel from an ordinary channel to an extraordinary one. As well as world conditions in general, we still need time to escape this crisis. The Government still really needs working flexibility and simplicity of procedures, so that all problems can be handled quickly, accurately, and efficiently. The Government has committed that our efforts are not only limited to getting out of the crisis but also making the most of the crisis to take a leap. Make the most of this crisis to build new ways of working, build new institutions that are able to compete in global competition. Since the beginning, I have instructed all levels of government to always prioritize accountability, transparency, and innovation by always prioritizing the main objectives of the program being implemented.

We welcome BPK’s efforts and together equalize our frequency in order to jointly find the best way to restore public health, restore the economy, and even take a leap of progress. I hope that every auditor has the same frequency for the priority of the interests of the people, the interests of the nation, and the interests of the state.

I thank you.

That concludes my remarks.

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om,

Namo Buddhaya.

Translated by Fairuzzamani Inayatillah
Reviewed by Muhardi