Sleman govt to publish Year Book to boost accountability, transparency

Sleman govt to publish Year Book to boost accountability, transparency

Sri Wahyuni, Yogyakarta

After publishing its accounts in the media recently, the first
time ever for a local government in Indonesia, Sleman regency is
now set to take another step on the road to something approaching
accountability: it will soon publish a comprehensive year book.

"We are at the final stages of preparation. If everything
goes according to plan, we expect to be able
to launch the year book by the end of this month at the
latest," Sleman Local Treasury and Financial Management Agency
(BPKKD) director Nogati Sri Karyati said over the weekend.

The year book will be in full-color and consist of some 80
pages. It will provide an overview of what the regency government
has been doing since last year, and include, among others things,
a description of the regency's mission, development strategies,
geographical condition, physical and non-physical development
activities, and developments in the human resources field.

Part two of the year book will set out the regency
government's accounts for last year, including its budget
realization report, balance sheet, cash flow statement, and the
deficit/surplus statement. A certificate from the Supreme Audit
Agency (BPK) will be attached to the annual accounts.

In the last part of the year book, the regency government will
present social and economic data for last year and forecasts on
the regency's social and economic potential up until 2009.

"Our targets are not just the people of Sleman and
Indonesia, but the international community as well, especially
potential investors. That's why the book is written in two
languages, Indonesian and English," said Djaka Waluya of
Sleman's Local Development Planning Board
(Bappeda), who also served as a consultant for the publication of
the year book.

Due to the limited budget for the project -- some Rp 100
million (US$ 10,526) -- only 1,000 copies of the year book are to
be printed.

"The main idea is that we want to make the book as
accessible as possible to the community
at large as this is a manifestation of the Sleman
government's accountability. Everything is transparently
presented here. Nothing is hidden," Nogati added.

According to Nogati, who also served as the team leader for
the publication project, Sleman Regent Ibnu Subiyanto had been
promising ever since he was installed as regent some four years
ago to publish such a year book, and especially the
local government's accounts. However, it was only in the
fourth year of his term that the plan was capable of being
realized.

The year book was drawn up with the assistance of BIGG
(Building Institutions for Good Governance), a non-governmental
organization (NGO), and Gadjah Mada University's Center for
Accountancy Studies, Nogati said.

Comparative studies abroad were also conducted, including ones
in Canada and a number of European countries, to see how local
governments there published their annual reports. The studies
were conducted by Nogati at the same time as tourism promotions
organized by the Sleman government.