Social Affairs Minister Strongly Supports Law Enforcement Against Corruption

SURABAYA (27 May 2023) - Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini reiterated that her party is not involved in the alleged corruption case in the distribution of social assistance. However, her party supports the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) disclosure operations.

"I was not aware of this situation. That is why, when asked by the media, I replied that I did not know. But I support the KPK and will not intervene," Risma stated.

As previously stated, the KPK visited the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) Office to seek information about the distribution of social assistance in 2020.

Minister Risma stated that she was carrying out her duties following President Jokowi's directive, which states that social assistance should not be in the form of products. If there is social aid in the form of products, the Minister clarifies that it is not provided by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

"In carrying out my duties since I took office, I have followed the President's directive, which states that (social aid) is not commodities or products. If there is anything in the shape of commodities, it comes from other parties, not us," she explained.

Even the Minister confirmed that she was ordered to distribute cooking oil social aid as costs skyrocketed. She still refused. "We were asked to distribute cooking oil, but I declined. Because I still follow the President's instructions," she explained.

The Minister confirmed that she had reassigned officials suspected of administering social assistance to Beneficiary Families (KPM) under the Family Hope Program (PKH) in 2020. The transfer was done so that the officials involved did not occupy strategic positions at the Ministry of Social Affairs.

She said that the officials currently carrying out their duties were new officials and no one was involved. According to the Minister, they are good people and have a great commitment to helping the MoSA's work in dealing with various social problems in society.

"All of these officials are new. And neither of them is involved in this case. Besides, this is an old lawsuit," she added.

The Minister stated that she would continue to try to help the community. Meanwhile, her party will not intervene in matters handled by the KPK. The Minister ensures that all community services continue to operate smoothly and without disruption.

"I will not intervene; let the KPK do its work. And we will continue to work for the people," she added.

Several initiatives have been taken to guarantee that the Ministry of Social Affairs 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 Ministry of Social Affairs' 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.

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.