Residents Of Bekasi Regency Asked To Actively Supervise Village Funds For The Common Interest

Drivers crossing Jalan Raya Setu-Serang in Telajung Village, West Cikarang District, Bekasi Regency on Thursday (12/12/2024). ANTARA/Pradita Kurniawan Syah

JAKARTA - The Bekasi Regency Government, West Java, invites the public to actively supervise the use of village funds. This step aims to ensure transparency for the sake of mutual welfare and support improving the quality of life of the community.

Head of the Bekasi Regency Community and Village Empowerment Service, Rahmat Atong, explained that the local government supervises through administrative documentation. However, policies related to the use of village funds remain the responsibility of the village head.

"The decision-making is entirely the authority of the village head and is based on the political promises listed in the RPJMDes (Village Development Medium-Term Plan)," he said in Cikarang, Sunday.

According to Rahmat, any use of village funds or other sources of income must first be planned through the hamlet level deliberation and continued at the village deliberation.

"The process of deliberation is very important to create openness in managing the village budget," he said.

Rahmat also hopes that people from various layers can be actively involved in village activities, so that they can directly monitor infrastructure development and develop competitive human resources.

He added that the local government had provided technical guidance to provide education about the management of village funds.

"We are also working with the prosecutor's office as a state attorney to strengthen socialization and education related to the management of village funds, so that their use is right on target and is not misused," explained Rahmat.

Meanwhile, Sukadami Village Secretary in South Cikarang District, Abenk Arif, said that the management of village funds had been proportionally allocated for infrastructure development, human resource development, and village device honorarium payments.

"This year, 70 percent of the total APBDes worth IDR 6 billion is allocated for infrastructure development and improving the quality of human resources," he said.

Abenk said the infrastructure that had been built included the posyandu secretariat, village hall, village road, river and drainage channel normalization, as well as education programs for village employees.

"We have provided financial plans for Sukadami Village at the village office so that the public can find out. In addition, we held weekly meetings attended by elements of the community such as the Head of RT, RW, village officials, hamlets, and BPD to evaluate village programs," he added.

The head of Cibatu Village in South Cikarang District, Ranta, stated that the local village government always involves the community in development planning. This process is carried out through the hamlet to village level deliberation forum, by applying the principle of openness related to the use of the budget.

"All of our planning shows transparently at the village office so that the community can monitor the use of village funds and ensure that the budget is used for the common good," he concluded.