TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat suspects the budgeting mistake in Jakarta's 'aibon' glue 2020 regional budget plan was intentional. Thus, he urges Governor Anies Baswedan to investigate the civil servants responsible for submitting the administrative fiasco that has since gone viral.

“It would be extremely stupid if it was a mistake. It surely was intentional. This is not the mistake of Governor Anies Baswedan, but the person who submitted the budget is the person that needs to be tracked down,” said Djarot at the Senayan Parliamentary Complex on Thursday, October 30.

The city’s e-budgeting input mistake saw the city filing for the Rp82 billion budget plan on the purchase of Aibon branded glue. The fantastic budget for items of such insignificance was first highlighted by a member of the Jakarta Council (DPRD) from the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) faction, William Aditya Sarana.

William followed up his findings on the city’s public budget draft website and tweeted an image of the budget draft, which then grabbed the public’s attention.

The odd amount of budget was also found in the draft to purchase ballpoint pens which saw budget up to Rp124 billion.

Moreover, Djarot claims to precisely know similar city budgeting infiltration in the past and had even sparked conflict with the DPRD in his days as Jakarta’s Deputy.

“That was why we created the e-budgeting system. So that when oddities are found, it would be picked up by people. Because the system is not to blame but the manpower who submitted the budget. This must be evaluated,” said the PDIP politician.

DEWI NURITA