Jamintel: Jaga Desa strengthens corruption prevention efforts in Riau Islands
The Junior Attorney General for Intelligence (Jamintel) at the Indonesian Attorney General’s Office, Reda Manthovani, has assessed that the Jaksa Garda Desa (Jaga Desa) programme can strengthen efforts to prevent corruption in village financial management in the Riau Islands (Kepri).
According to him, the synergy between Jaga Desa and the village financial system allows the process of managing and accounting for village finances to be monitored more effectively.
“In this way, BPD members can coordinate directly with the district prosecutor’s office. So there are no more barriers; they can directly report conditions found in the field,” he said while inaugurating the DPD and DPC boards of ABPEDNAS and Srikandi Jaga Desa across the Riau Islands Province in Bintan Regency on Wednesday.
The prosecutor’s office is also partnering with the Village Consultative Body Association (ABPEDNAS) to strengthen community-based verification and oversight through members of the Village Consultative Body (BPD).
Reda, who also serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the ABPEDNAS Central Board, said that the role of the BPD and Jaga Desa in the future is not only related to oversight but can also be directed towards supporting the optimisation of village economic potential and ensuring that government programmes reach the right beneficiaries.
According to him, this includes the Jaga Indonesia Pintar programme, through verification of beneficiary communities at the village level so that educational assistance can be distributed to residents who genuinely meet the criteria.
“The presence of ABPEDNAS and Srikandi Jaga Desa is expected to support increasingly advanced village development and improve community welfare,” said Reda.
Riau Islands Governor Ansar Ahmad appreciated the presence of the Attorney General’s Office, the Ministry of Home Affairs, ABPEDNAS, and Srikandi Jaga Desa in the region.
“We are confident that the presence of ABPEDNAS and Srikandi Jaga Desa has a very strategic role as a forum for inter-village deliberation, helping to accelerate the development of village potential, building community innovation in villages, and most importantly safeguarding the integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia,” he said.
Ansar affirmed the commitment of the Riau Islands Provincial Government, together with district and city governments, to optimise the role of ABPEDNAS and Srikandi Jaga Desa at both the provincial and district/city levels.
He also reminded that the Riau Islands’ position as a border province with a territory consisting mostly of sea makes the existence of villages, especially coastal villages and outer islands, strategically important in safeguarding the integrity of Indonesia’s territory.
“The important thing is that we work hard to maintain security and preserve the integrity of this nation so that villages remain strong. God willing, the country will be great,” he said.