Minister Risma Bolsters Anti-Corruption Measures in Collaboration with Law Enforcement

JAKARTA (25 May 2023) - Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini ensures that she will continue to enhance commitment and make tangible efforts to develop a corruption prevention system at the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA). Several initiatives have been taken to guarantee that MoSA follows the principles of good governance.

Since taking office, the Minister has improved cooperation and coordination with law enforcement officers (APH), particularly in monitoring the distribution of social assistance. "We are collaborating with institutions or agencies such as the KPK, Attorney General's Office, Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP), Central Bank of Indonesia (BI), Financial Services Authority of Indonesia (OJK) and Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri) in the hope that no parties intend to misuse social assistance," the Minister said in an interview with the media.

To guarantee effective supervision, the Minister does not hesitate to assign APH a supervisory post inside the MoSA's organizational structure. Even the role of Acting Inspector General was given to Dody Sukmono, a prominent investigator who formerly worked for the KPK.

To continue to strengthen the prevention of criminal acts of corruption, the Minister welcomes feedback and cooperation from law enforcement agencies, particularly the KPK. The Minister expects that the KPK will help to strengthen the ranks of inspectors in the Ministry of Social Affairs by offering training in both inspection and reporting.

The Minister's statement is in line with the National Police Headquarters' explanation regarding accompanying the Corruption Prevention Task Force to Ministries/Institutions, including the Ministry of Social Affairs. Synergy and cooperation with the National Police Corruption Prevention Task Force are provided as part of a shared commitment to preventing corruption.

"Efforts to prevent corruption are the National Police’s commitment to prevent corruption so that potential losses of state money due to corruption can be eliminated. This includes within the Ministry of Social Affairs," said a member of the National Police Task Force, Yudi Purnomo Harahap, as quoted by the media today.

The Corruption Prevention Task Force team has been in contact with MoSA since the beginning of this year. The two parties intensively discussed issues regarding the distribution of social assistance including social protection programs, basic necessities, direct cash assistance, and other social assistance. Both parties conducted outreach, hearings, and direct visits to areas where social assistance was distributed.

Dissemination is made to Social Companions of the Family Hope Program and District Social Welfare Workers to ensure that social assistance is distributed in a transparent and accountable manner that meets the principles of, among other things, being right on target, on time, and in the correct amount.

MoSA supports the Task Force's plan to broaden the scope of corruption prevention to ensure that social assistance is distributed effectively and without irregularities, as well as to obtain information about the root of problems that frequently arise, particularly in areas where social assistance is distributed, in order to provide appropriate solutions.

On the other hand, the Minister has also developed a corruption prevention system within the Ministry of Social Affairs. The Minister is restructuring and enhancing the social assistance system to increase accountability and transparency. This is accomplished by structuring and updating the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS), cleaning duplicate data, and matching the data with the Population Identification Number (NIK) at the Directorate General of Administration and Population (Aminduk) of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

"Improving the quality of DTKS necessitates strong participation from the local government. The local government updates data in compliance with the mission of Law No. 13 of 2011 on the Handling of the Poor," the Minister said.

As a result, MoSA is working with the local government to ensure that data on beneficiaries, such as BPNT and PKH, are shown in each village, despite the fact that the component items for elementary, middle, and high school children differ. "The goal is to ensure transparency in the local environment. Local communities can directly monitor the social assistance distribution process," the Minister explained.