Unqualified Opinion Doesnt Mean No Corruption, President Jokowi Says
President Joko Widodo opens the 2016 National Working Meeting of Government Accounting and Financial Report, at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday (20/9) morning (Picture: Public Relations Office/Jay)
President Joko Widodo reminded all Ministers, Head of institutions, Governors, Regents, Mayors, and their apparatus not to focus only on getting Unqualified Opinion because this Opinion does not mean there is no corruption.
Doesnt mean there is no corruption. By achieving this Opinion, we must work hard to build a culture of transparent financial managementand even, more accountable, the President stated in his remarks at the opening of the 2016 National Working Meeting of Government Accounting and Financial Report, at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday (20/9) morning.
The President firmly said that the Government must start to build a good system by developing digitization as well as debureaucracy, and to simplify things. Moreover, the people must also be developed. Once again, we must develop the human resources by continuously increasing their capacity, the President said.
Be the Basic
Previously, the Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati, in her report, expected the regions or ministries/institutions that receive the Unqualified Opinion from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) not to close or keep their reports. They are supposed to be the basic to make improvements that bring benefits for the people.
According to the Minister, if in 2014 there were 274 entities that received the Unqualified Opinion, in 2015 the number increased by 367 entities: 56 ministries/institutions, 29 provincial governments, 222 regency governments, and 60 city governments.
From all these institutions and governments, the Minister of Finance gave an award to 22 ministries/institutions, 3 provincial governments, 8 regency governments, and 4 city governments that during the last five years received the Unqualified Opinion from BPK.
President Joko Widodo simbolically handed over the award to five representatives, namely: 1. the House of the Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia; 2. Ministry of Industry; 3. West Java Province; 4. Boyolali Regency; and 5. Surakarta City.
The Minister of Finance said that this year is an important and historical year because starting this year, the Government will implement accrual-based accounting. Its so much different from cash-based accounting, that we usually use. This is a historical moment in Indonesias financial management, the Minister said. (DND/ES)(MMB/YM/Naster)
