Bappenas must account for safety fund leakage<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The National Development Planning Board
\n(Bappenas) must account for the leakage of Rp 8.6 trillion in the
\nsocial safety net program for the needy, a government official
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"Bappenas must be responsible for the leakage in the social
\nsafety net funds because it is the only government institution
\nwhich has controlled the funds, distributed them and designed
\nprojects for their usage. It should not blame a certain political
\nparty for the leakage,\" Director General of Manpower Placement
\nand Development at the Ministry of Manpower Din Samsuddin said on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
State Minister of National Development Planning and Bappenas
\nchairman Boediono said recently that part of the funds had not
\nreached their intended recipients because they had been used by a
\npolitical party.<\/p>\n
The coordinator of a group which has protested the abuse of
\nsocial safety net funds, Wardah Hafidz of the Urban Poor
\nConsortium, has said evidence pointed to the Golkar Party abusing
\nthe funds to further their political interests.<\/p>\n
Despite protests, the minister insisted the government would
\ngo ahead with the social safety net project to help the poor
\nsurvive the economic crisis.<\/p>\n
Funds for the 1998\/1999 fiscal year amount to Rp 17.9
\ntrillion.<\/p>\n
Boediono has called on the Government Development Audit Agency
\nto audit the funds' usage and bring to court those involved in
\nthe leakage.<\/p>\n
Representative of the ruling Golkar Party at the General
\nElections Commission Mahadi Sinambela slammed what he said were
\nbaseless accusations.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar is ready to be punished if it is proven guilty of
\nembezzling the funds for political activities. On the other hand,
\nBappenas or its officials should be given stiff sanctions if they
\ncommitted faults,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Din said the ministry should be allowed to take part again in
\nthe social safety net program to help ease unemployment.<\/p>\n
The next stage of the program does not allocate funds to
\nministries, as the fund use is considered less urgent.<\/p>\n
Din said the labor intensive projects and those for skilled
\nand dismissed workers should be continued to ease unemployment.<\/p>\n
He said during the 1998\/99 fiscal year the ministry employed
\napproximately one million workers in projects worth Rp 1
\ntrillion. (rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bappenas-must-account-for-safety-fund-leakage-1447893297",
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