DPR Opens Opportunity for Formulating Charity Bill following ACT Case
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5 July 2022 21:45 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The House of Representatives (DPR) opened the opportunity to formulate a bill on charity that regulates philanthropic institutions following the case of alleged embezzlement of donations by Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT) humanitarian organization.
“Just propose it as a DPR initiative proposal. We'll see the academic document and then submit it based on the existing mechanism in the DPR,” said DPR Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad at the Parliament Complex, Senayan on Tuesday, July 5, 2022.
The proposal for the bill formulation was first mentioned by a member of the DPR Commission VIII Maman Imanulhaq. He opined the ACT case should be momentum for improving the regulation. It was hoped that the bill would act as a legal umbrella to carry out strict supervision towards institutions that collect social donations so that they would be more transparent and accountable.
“This (ACT case of alleged embezzlement) is a real injustice and I think the DPR will propose a charity bill like the one in the UK,” Maman told reporters on Monday.
Chairman of Commission VIII Yandri Susanto also emphasized the importance of special regulations on the mechanism for collecting public funds and its accountability in philanthropic organizations or other fundraising institutions.
“Because they collect public funds. There need to be audit standards and others so that the funds are not misused,” said Yandri when contacted on Monday.
According to him, the authority to manage these public funds is under the Ministry of Social Affairs. “The Ministry of Social Affairs and related ministries/institutions need to make more detailed rules, including sanctions,” he added.
Until now, the collection of public funds has only been regulated by Law No. 9 of 1961 on the collection of funds and goods and Government Regulation No. 29 of 1980 on the gathering of donations.
The two old regulations only cover the bureaucracy of granting permits and do not contain rules on accountability and sanctions if there is a misuse of public donations.
DEWI NURITA
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