Muhadjir: Alleged Corruption Of Rice Social Assistance Enters The Coordinating Ministry Of Social's Inspectorate Radar

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy (right) accompanied Vice President Ma'ruf Amin to provide a press statement at the Vice President's Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday (24/5/2023). ANTARA/Rangga Pandu Asmara Jingga

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy said the alleged corruption of rice social assistance (bansos) for Beneficiary Families (KPM) for the 2020 Family Hope Program (PKH) has entered the radar of the Inspectorate General of the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Muhadjir, who had served as Acting Minister of Social Affairs after the previous arrest of the Minister of Social Affairs, namely Juliari P Batubara by the Corruption Eradication Commission for the corruption scandal in social assistance funds handling COVID-19, said that information on alleged corruption had been on the inspectorate's radar since the beginning of the social assistance corruption examination.

"As far as I know, it has been in the (radar Inspectorate General of the Ministry of Social Affairs) since the beginning of the examination. But evidence is needed, evidence is needed to ensure that it does happen and we can't deal with grupsu, especially when it comes to people, so we have to respect it," said Muhadjir at the Vice President's Palace, Jakarta, reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, May 24.

Alluding to why the search of the Ministry of Social Affairs Office related to corruption in the new rice social assistance is currently being carried out, Muhadjir said it was technically the authority of the apparatus responsible for this, KPK investigators. Muhadjir said that the problem of social assistance rice was indeed diverse, one of which was that there was rotten social assistance rice because when delivery was not covered with tarpaulins and rain.

However, he explained, the problem had been resolved by compensation by the introductory party according to the agreement so that it had no effect on financing in the APBN.

Muhadjir admitted that he did not know exactly how the rice social assistance corruption case began, but he made sure it happened before he served as Acting Minister of Social Affairs, especially when the current Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini was in office.

"I was the Acting Minister of Social Affairs and also (the case) before the Minister of Social Affairs (Risma). The case was a continuation of the previous case, so we'll just look at the process. So it has nothing to do with the current one, I make sure," he said.

Previously, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin said that the search carried out by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) at the Ministry of Social Affairs would not be a problem if there were allegations of corruption in social assistance suspected to have occurred there.

"If there are irregularities, there are parties who do have the task of doing that (examination or search). I don't think there will be any problem if there is something suspected, until the data is correct or incorrect," said the Vice President.

The Vice President emphasized that the government itself continues to improve the corruption prevention system and continuously supervise the implementation or distribution of social assistance.