TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An evaluation conducted by the Home Affairs Ministry revealed unplanned 335 activity items worth Rp 5.25 trillion (US$403.5 million) or 7 percent of the 2017 Jakarta Budget approved by the Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) on December 19, 2016.
Reydonnyzar Moenek, director general for regional finance at the Home Affairs Ministry, said that the 335 items violated Article 15 of Home Affairs Minister's Regulation No. 13/2006 on regional finance management.
"Basically, every budget must be planned to prevent inefficiency," Donny said on Thursday, December 29, 2016.
As many as 74 items had been removed by the Ministry, including a Rp 1.44 billion (US$106,469.57) worth of renovation plan for the Jakarta Legislative Council speaker’s official residence at Menteng, Central Jakarta. In addition, the budget for fish pond renovation at the Jakarta Legislative Council building and an allocation of Rp 4.3 billion (US$330,000) for councilors’ drivers were also removed due to lack of legal bases.
City secretary Saefullah said that the budgets for 74 activities were moved to incidental expenses.
"Therefore, the budget posture remains the same, and incidental expenses are increased to Rp 312 billion (US$24 million)," Saefullah explained
According to Saefullah, the 335 unplanned activities were proposed during a budget discussion with the Regional Government Budgetary Team (TAPD) and during the deliberation with city councilors. The discussion was held a month after the Regional Government Activities Plan (RKPD) was validated in May 2016.
"Some emergency activities were left out in the planning, so that they have to be included [in the City Budget]," Saefullah added.
Indonesia Budget Center executive director Roy Salam criticized the procedures of the Jakarta Budget deliberation.
"The unplanned budget is similar to ghost budget," Roy claimed.
Roy viewed that the city administration could not facilitate councilors' requests that were suddenly proposed during the deliberation.
Earlier, the Jakarta Legislative Council urged the Jakarta administration under acting Jakarta Governor Sumarsono's leadership to include the budgets.
"Why are they excluded? If they are not approved, [the city administration] should have told us from the beginning. It feels like we’re being lied to," Mohamad Taufik, deputy chairman of the Jakarta Legislative Council’s Budgetary Board.
INDRI MAULIDAR | ERWAN HERMAWAN
