Ahok Challenges BPK Officials To Open Wealth To The Public In Today's Memory, 7 July 2015

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok), who served as Governor of DKI Jakarta from the 2014-2017 era. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA Memories of today, nine years ago, July 7, 2015, the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) challenged the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) to be open about assets. Ahok wants BPK members who check regional financial flows to be credible at work.

Previously, the BPK provided Jakarta with the title of Reasonable with Exceptions (WDP). BPK considers that many DKI Jakarta programs are indicated to be detrimental to the region. This condition is inversely proportional to other cities where many regional heads go to prison.

BPK gave the WDP Fair predicate in DKI Jakarta's 2014 financial report. This assumption was obtained because BPK had found 70 findings in DKI's financial statements. The findings are worth IDR 2.16 trillion.

BPK considers that there is a program that is indicated to bring regional losses worth Rp442 billion and has the potential to harm the region as much as Rp1.71 trillion. This condition is strengthened by a shortage of regional revenues of Rp3.23 billion, administrative expenditures of Rp469 million, and waste of RP3.04 billion.

BPK also did not hesitate to determine the title of WDP. The predicate is considered the most likely to see the ulcers of DKI Jakarta's financial statements. Ahok was furious that he was not playing. The WDP predicate is considered a form of criminalizing him as the Governor of DKI Jakarta. Ahok believes that the BPK's assessment is unfair.

BPK is seen as working without clear standards in the budget audit process. Ahok also assessed that the BPK's assessment had many disadvantages. In the past, during the era of the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Fauzi Bowo, Jakarta, he was even held to receive the title of Unqualified (WTP).

In the Ahok era, progress was made here and there, the opposite. Ahok was even more angry when he learned that many cities in Indonesia had entered the village head because corruption was actually the city led by WTP. BPK must be skeptical about the phenomenon and immediately justify the way it was assessed.

"Masak era Foke mau kampanye, BPK memberi predikat WTP. Sementara saya yang diwarisi program itu dapat predikat WDP. Buktinya Foke yang dapat WTP kalah sama saya yang dapat WDP. Anyway, yang membuat saya bisa menjadi gubernur itu bukan BPK, tapi warga DKI. Daerah yang dapat predicate WTP itu banyak bupati dan gubernurnya masuk penjara," ujar Ahok dikutip laman Tempo, 7 Juli 2015.

Ahok couldn't contain his emotions. Ahok replied to the assessment by challenging the BPK to disclose its wealth to the public on July 7, 2015. Ahok expressed this challenge so that BPK members who check or audit regional finances are truly credible.

In other words, BPK personnel are not involved in corruption. This openness can first make BPK audit its members' wealth. It is natural or not. They even got it in what way. Ahok called the wealth audit a form of transparency.

"I want to challenge all existing officials at the BPK if you need to prove the taxes you pay, how much is your property, how much is the cost of your life, where do your children go to college. I want to know everything. If you can't prove it, you can't be a member of the BPK, you can't check people because you can have an element of the problem," continued Ahok, quoted by the detik.com page, July 7, 2015.