TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - There seems to be an urgent need to amend Law No. 15/2006 on the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK). One of the most important changes needed is to the way the agency's members are chosen. So far, they have been directly selected by the House of Representatives (DPR). As a result, BPK members are chosen based on the political 'desires' of the legislators, at times, ignoring the integrity or the technical capability of the candidates.
But this 'subjectivity' could be avoided if the selection mechanism were to be managed by a special committee, which is the case when selecting members of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). This committee would screen applicants or candidates, and then forward the best ones to the DPR for the final selection. Assuming that this committee acted professionally, the candidates passed on to the DPR would have the integrity and the necessary ability. Without all this, the result would be collusion and a transaction of personal interests.
In October, two BPK members, Rizal Djalil and Moermahadi Soerja Djanegara, will end their terms of office and they want to be renominated. At the end of this month, Rizal will enter the contest to replace Hadi Poernomo, who is shortly to retire, as BPK chairman.
There are signs that the race for the BPK top position may have led to some collusion, among BPK members and between BPK members and the DPR Finance Commission which will select the members and the chairman of the state audit body.
This suspected conspiracy involves the illicit use of BPK authority, for example,when a certain program, like the Education Ministry's Poor People's Scholarship (BSM), is being audited. The Education Ministry is an 'area' that has been investigated by Rizal Djalil.
There are suspicions that Rizal 'pressured' the ministry to ensure the BSM program benefited certain legislators, ensuring that the scholarship handover ceremonies were held at the constituencies of members of the Finance Commission. For example, in Karawang and Purwakarta scholarships were symbolically handed out by Ade Komaruddin, a member of the Finance Commission from the Golkar Party. In Kupang there was Setya Novanto, also from Golkar. At every ceremony, the legislators gave long speeches.
Although this seems above board, the BSM ceremonies still raised questions. Why did the invitations come from the DPR Finance Commission and not from the Education Ministry? More suspiciously, the forum for the legislators to make speeches were conveniently scheduled during the election campaign time.
This collusion cannot be allowed to continue. Those who misuse their positions should be investigated. The possibility of gratuities must also be looked into. The Education Ministry should not be afraid to speak up if it is true that politicians have been hitching a free ride on its program. If this is proven, the BPK members guilty of abusing their positions must be fired.
The BPK is a state agency that must be independent of all interests. This alleged collusion between its members and legislators could open the door for the authorities to investigate the many possible transgressions. Thanks to this case, the legitimacy of past BPK audits must be called into question. (*)
