TEMPO.CO, Bogor - The Home Affairs Ministry’s director general for regional finance Reydonnyzar Moenek said Jakarta is one of the five regions with the lowest budget absorption. The other four regions are North Kalimantan, West Java, Papua and Riau. “The average budget absorption until July 2015 is 39.2 percent,” said Donny, Redonnyzar’s nickname, on Monday.

Donny said regional heads are usually afraid to make a breakthrough in using budget due to many regional heads being involved in corruption.

Jakarta deputy governor Djarot Syaiful Hidayat said his region’s budget absorption has only reached 19.4 percent. He said the number is normal because Gubernatorial Regulation on regional budget was just issued last April.

After receiving instructions from Jokowi, Djarot will gather regional police chief, prosecutors office and other working units to communicate Jokowi’s instructions.

Jokowi on Tuesday met with governors, regional police chiefs, prosecutors office chief, Supreme Audit Agency chief Harry Azhar Azis, Corruption Eradication Commission chief Taufiequrachman Ruki, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti, Attorney General Prasetyo and Development Finance Comptroller chief Ardan Adhi Perdana to hold talks on the importance of budget absorption to boost economic growth.

Until August, the government’s budget absorption had just reached 20 percent. For that, Jokowi gave five instruction points as solutions to budget absorption.

First, financial discretion cannot be criminalized. Second, the government’s administrative actions are open for civil lawsuits without criminalization. Third, in examining state losses, authorities must make sure that they are concrete. Fourth, BPK and BPKP publish their findings and related agencies are given 60 days to follow up on the findings. Fifth, legal authorities are not allowed to expose suspects before prosecuting them.

TIKA PRIMANDARI