Transparency important for preventing graft
Transparency important for preventing graft
Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Transparency remained the focus of a two-day international meeting on the prevention of tsunami relief funds falling victim to corruption. The meeting, which was concluded on Friday, demanded that all stakeholders ensure accountability in the programming and disbursement of the aid money.
The governments of recipient countries, in particular, needed to ensure that their procurement systems met international accountability standards so that they could serve the best interests of the affected people.
"Relief operations and reconstruction projects must contribute to the strengthening of local institutions, the transfer of technical skills, and promote policies aimed at preventing corruption," Asian Development Bank (ADB) governance and regional cooperation division director, Jak Jabes, told a press briefing on the meeting's recommendations.
The ADB, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Transparency International (TI) and the government jointly host the event.
Representatives and experts from five other tsunami affected countries -- India, the Maldives, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Thailand -- were also present.
Giant tidal waves generated by a 9-on-the-Richter-scale earthquake on Dec. 26 killed at least 174,000 people around Indian Ocean-rim coasts, with Indonesia bearing the brunt of the disaster.
Some US$6 billion has been pledged worldwide by donors for the relief effort and reconstruction projects in the devastated areas.
Donor countries and agencies should also coordinate with the recipient countries and among themselves to avoid duplication of assistance schemes, as well as make careful assessments of local conditions so that allocated resources matched needs.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) had an important role to play in monitoring the relief and reconstruction processes -- reporting any suspicions of corruption to the authorities -- and ensuring the maximum involvement of the affected people.
Concerning the procurement system, TI regional director for Asia and the Pacific, Peter Rooke, said the organization had developed an "Integrity Pact" for procurement tenders, in which bidders would be scrutinized for graft. Any violating bidder would then be blacklisted from participating in future tenders.
"I'm happy to hear that the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) is considering using this pact during the reconstruction process in Aceh," he said.
Rooke further said that the meeting had discussed the establishment of an independent supervisory commission as proposed by NGOs, in line with making sure that existing institutions function again effectively.
Meanwhile, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairman Erry Hardjapamekas said the commission would open a representative office in Banda Aceh to handle graft complaints and reports
"The KPK will also provide protection for whistleblowers," he said.
Concerning the implementation of the integrity pact for procurements, Erry said that KPK would complement it with arequirement for government officials in the affected areas to routinely declare their assets.
The meeting's recommendations will be used to formulate a international-level disaster relief management system.