Watch Closely, Disburse Quickly

KOMPAS/ERIKA KURNIA

A line of dozens of drivers, street vendors, workers at Depok Terminal to receive lunch assistance on Wednesday (15/4/2020). Assistance is provided by the social organization Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT) and the Indonesian Volunteer Society.

Those who commit corruption, which often happens when the country faces challenges, natural disasters, or economic and monetary crises, can be sentenced to death.

The mandate in the explanation of Article 2 Paragraph (2) of Law No. 31/1999 concerning the eradication of corruption crimes shows a very firm position that this nation must not forgive anyone who misuses the state budget in emergency or extraordinary conditions.

As the nation faces the COVID-19 pandemic, which requires rapid handling supported by a budget that is also enormous, the mandate of the Corruption Law becomes increasingly relevant to be echoed again throughout the archipelago.

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The government has budgeted very large funds to handle COVID-19, reaching Rp 405.1 trillion. The funds are intended for the health sector, social protection, tax incentives and credit stimulus for people\'s businesses, as well as the national economic recovery program. The very large budget needs to be safeguarded so that not a penny is misused.

With positive thinking, it is certainly unimaginable, whether there will be people who are willing to misuse the funds for handling COVID-19. This pandemic has claimed more than 136,000 lives all over world and devastated many countries, including Indonesia. However, given that corruption has taken over this country, we still need to be vigilant and stop those who continue to take advantage of emergency situations.

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KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

Kompas Humanity Fund Foundation (DKK) members prepare staple food packages to be donated to residents of Gelora subdistrict, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, on Thursday (16/4/2020). The aid was handed over from DKK chairman Rusdi Amral to Gelora subdistrict head Nurul Huda, who will distribute it to residents affected by COVID-19. The DKK also gave assistance to residents in Kebon Jeruk subdistrict.

The Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) noted that in the past 10 years, there have been at least 87 cases of corruption related to the disbursement of disaster funds. Corruption has occurred when funds were disbursed without tight supervision, both at the emergency response, rehabilitation and reconstruction stages. Perpetrators vary, ranging from state officials, regional heads, officials or employees of agencies/institutions, up to the private sector.

Therefore, caution is still needed, especially in Regulation in Lieu of Law No. 1 of 2020 concerning state financial policy and financial system stability for coronavirus pandemic handling, which gives impunity to government officials.

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Nevertheless, caution should not hamper the disbursement of COVID-19 handling funds. The spread of this new type of coronavirus is very fast. Therefore, if we are late in disbursing the budget, the funds will not improve the situation, but even worsen it instead.

The key is transparency. Budget users and beneficiaries need to be made public so that it is easily verified. The involvement of all law enforcement agencies and supervisors, including the Central Information Commission and the media, is crucial. Those who try to take advantage of the situation will be afraid because they will face the death penalty.