Tito: Corruption and Wastefulness Can Destroy Public Trust
Interior Minister Muhammad Tito Karnavian has emphasised the importance of upholding integrity and efficiency in managing local governments. He made this statement during his address at the All-Indonesia City Governments Association (APEKSI) forum in Banda Aceh, Aceh, on Tuesday (21/4).
Tito addressed the ongoing issues of corruption cases and budgetary wastefulness that could broadly impact the reputation of regional heads.
He stressed that the two primary concerns are corrupt practices and inefficiencies in budget utilisation.
“Fellow regional heads, you must carefully safeguard yourselves and your policies. This is particularly due to corruption cases and inefficiency cases. These two—corruption and inefficiency, wastefulness,” said Tito in Banda Aceh on Monday (20/4).
He explained that current public perception is heavily influenced by media reporting. When the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) conducts sting operations or cases of budgetary waste emerge, the impact extends beyond the individuals involved to the entire local government (Pemda).
According to him, this situation could affect the level of trust between regions and the central government. Maintaining trust is crucial for facilitating smooth budget submissions for regional areas, such as General Allocation Funds (DAU), Special Allocation Funds (DAK), and Revenue Sharing Funds (DBH).
Nevertheless, Tito appreciated the many regional heads who have performed well and introduced various innovations. However, he noted that these positive achievements are often overshadowed by negative news that spreads more quickly or goes viral.
He provided a simple analogy: hundreds of thousands of people may work well, but one mistake that captures public attention can shape an unbalanced perception. Tito encouraged regional heads’ associations to be more proactive in building positive narratives by consistently publicising regional achievements and innovations.
In addition to strengthening governance, the Interior Minister also emphasised the importance of transparent public communication. According to him, anti-corruption efforts must go hand-in-hand with openness in information and the publication of local government performance.
“Therefore, this is a matter of perception, alongside our efforts to improve, of course. Improving to be truly cautious against corrupt practices,” said Tito.