'PPMK fund should be reviewed'

JAKARTA: The city administration has been told to evaluate the effectiveness of the Subdistrict Community Empowerment Program (PPMK) and to delay the disbursement of this year's funding for the program pending the results of the evaluation.

The chairman of City Council's Commission E for welfare, Nazamuddin, said on Wednesday the discovery of irregularities in the distribution of the money for the program in numerous subdistricts showed there were problems with PPMK.

The city plans to disburse some Rp 130 billion in 267 subdistricts as part of this year's program.

Started several years ago, the program involves the administration disbursing money to empower people at the subdistrict level to open and develop small businesses.

However, there have been numerous reports of irregularities in the distribution of the money by the Subdistrict Representatives (Dekel).

The police recently detained the Dekel chairman of Serdang subdistrict, Central Jakarta, Agus Sugito, who was accused of misusing Rp 700 million of the PPMK's money.--JP