Rescue Of IDR 69.21 Trillion BPK Is Considered Not Reflecting Governance Improvements

JAKARTA The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) recorded that it managed to save the potential state losses of Rp. 69.21 trillion during the first semester of 2025. This jumbo finding drew mixed responses, including from the Indonesian Audit Watch (IAW) which assessed that this achievement needed to be studied more deeply.

IAW's Founder Secretary, Iskandar Sitorus, said that the figures presented by BPK did sound fantastic and became the public spotlight. However, according to him, behind the euphoria there are fundamental questions about the effectiveness of state supervision.

The giant corruption of Rp. 69.21 trillion is fresh air. The public cheered. But for those who understand the state audit kitchen, this fantastic figure actually raises the question: is this a real achievement or an illusion of accounting? " said Iskandar, Thursday, November 20, 2025.

IAW noted that of the total IDR 69.21 trillion, only IDR 25.86 trillion was included in the category of saving state money. The rest, IDR 43.35 trillion is a loss or lack of revenue, the majority of which comes from waste in SOEs.

The findings were sourced from 741 Audit Result Reports (LHP) conducted by the BPK, consisting of 701 financial audits, 36 audits with specific objectives, and only four performance audits.

According to IAW, the mandate of the BPK based on Law no. 15/2006 is very broad, including financial examination, performance, and certain objectives, to monitoring follow-up and reporting criminal elements to law enforcement officers a maximum of one month after being found.

"Take advantage of this mandate. Keep an eye on finances across the republic. Don't have a broad mandate, the results are narrow," said Iskandar.

IAW also highlighted the lack of performance audits. Of the 741 examinations, only four assessed the effectiveness of the policy, making it prone to undetected waste, unevaluated failed projects, and large expenses without a test benefit.

As a result, the public is given a large number, but the real impact is not visible. Transparency is not a matter of numbers, but accountability," he continued.

IAW questioned the follow-up to BPK's findings: how many have been designated as state losses, how many have been officially billed, and how many have actually returned to the state treasury.

If it only reveals, it's only half of the performance. If it's recovered, that's full performance," said Iskandar, also questioning why the same findings often appear from year to year.

IAW encourages the acceleration of the execution of official collection letters, active coordination with ministries/agencies, and legal breakthroughs in order to accelerate the recovery of state finances.

His party assessed that the rescue of IDR 69.21 trillion could only be said to be an administrative achievement, not a substance achievement. Real achievements, said Iskandar, can only be seen when the system changes, policies are improved, officials are responsible, findings are not repeated, and governance improves.

"This country does not need a auditor who is busy counting numbers. We need an auditor who changes the direction of the republic for the better," he said.