Ministry Of Home Affairs No Longer Gives Consideration To Regional National Education Fund, KPK: Don't Expel Rats By Burning Ships

KPK Deputy Chairman Nawawi Pomolango, center (Photo: KPK Public Relations)

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Nawawi Pomolango regrets that the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) no longer provides considerations regarding the management of Regional National Economic Recovery (PEN) funds.

According to Nawawi, the Ministry of Home Affairs should not ask not to be involved in managing regional PEN funds. The ministry, he continued, should improve regarding the loan management after the former Director General of Regional Finance at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mochamad Ardian Noervianto, became a KPK suspect.

"Perhaps it is better not to ask not to be involved, but to ask for sufficient time to provide considerations based on comprehensive data regarding the application for PEN funds," Nawawi told reporters, Thursday, February 3.

Nawawi said that the consideration for applying for the Regional PEN funds actually closed the gap for the overtaking. Moreover, the Ministry of Home Affairs has also emphasized that Ardian's acceptance of bribes is an individual practice.

"It would be a shame if this filtering process was abolished. Moreover, the Inspector General of the Ministry of Home Affairs previously stated that the case of the former Director General of the Ministry of Home Affairs, MAN, was an individual case," he said.

"Don't chase away rats on the deck by burning the boats," Nawawi added. As previously reported, the Ministry of Home Affairs is no longer involved in applying for loans for Regional National Economic Recovery (PEN) funds.

This decision was taken as a result of an evaluation after the former Director General (Dirjen) of Regional Finance of the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri), Mochamad Ardian Noervianto was named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Ardian is suspected of accepting bribes for the administration of a regional PEN fund loan proposed by the inactive East Kolaka Regent Andi Merya Nur.

"Based on the mitigation of potential risks that we assess at each stage, it is concluded that the Minister of Home Affairs does not need to give consideration because SMI has already done that," said Inspector General of the Ministry of Home Affairs Tumpak Simanjuntak at the KPK Red and White Building, South Jakarta, Wednesday, February 2.

After the decision was made, Tumpak said, the Ministry of Home Affairs sent a letter to the Ministry of Finance. "There is no need for the Minister of Home Affairs to be involved in giving consideration, which was only given three days," he said.