Govt accounts for the people's money: Soeharto
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)