Govt accounts for the people's money: Soeharto

JAKARTA (JP): The government stands accountable politically and morally in managing people's money that has been entrusted to it, President Soeharto said yesterday.

Therefore, he said, the government would welcome any initiative by the Supreme Audit Agency to promote proper state finance management.

"State funds collected from people's sweat must be used efficiently and for the best of people's welfare," Soeharto said when opening the seventh assembly of the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions here.

"The government must politically and morally account for (the use of all) the people's money entrusted to it," Soeharto added.

As the state budget increased from year to year, the President said, the government needed qualified, disciplined and dedicated officials to manage the ever-increasing budget.

The government also needed an improved audit system to enhance the performance of state finance control, he said.

The Supreme Audit Agency is empowered by the 1945 Constitution to investigate the accountability of state financing, the result of which should be made known to the House of Representatives.

So far the government, together with the House of Representatives, always used audit results by the agency to improve state finance management, Soeharto said.

The President ensured that the government would not interfere with the agency, but would support any effort by the agency to improve its capacity.

The agency's chairman, J.B. Sumarlin, said the government had shown a great interest in the future of professional audit and management systems to enhance the performance of state finance control.

"Along with the interest, Indonesia is eager to implement a systematic audit which would be useful in managing different kinds of government institutions," Sumarlin said.

He said the seminar, which would run until Oct. 10, would discuss the need for having an efficient and effective state finance administration.

The meeting would possibly come up with some accountability measurements to promote proper state finance management, Sumarlin added. (prb/rid)