Poverty fund needs auditing

Poverty fund needs auditing

JAKARTA: Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno ordered on Saturday all concerned local governments to have the use of poverty alleviation funds in subdistricts audited independently.

The audits were necessary to allow the public to know how the funds had been spent, Hari said after concluding a dialog between local governments and the central government on how best to alleviate poverty.

"The funds should be audited by public accountants for reliability purposes," Hari told reporters.

The various poverty alleviation programs have become notorious for corruption due to a lack of oversight. The current primary poverty alleviation program is funded by foreign loan worth US$200 million.

"The creditors have extended the loan in the belief that the program benefits the poor. Remember that this loan will have to be paid by us and our offspring. So, we must make sure that it is spent wisely," Hari said.-- Antara