Many Provincial Governments Lack Poverty Alleviation Plans

The Indonesian Financial Audit Agency (BPK) found that many provincial governments (pemprov) lacked poverty alleviation plans.

This BPK finding is recorded in the Semester I 2022 Summary of Audit Results (IHPS I) report released on October 4, 2022.

The BPK audited the performance of provincial governments in 34 provinces in tackling poverty during the 2021 fiscal year.

The results showed that 23 provincial governments had not prepared/established a Regional Poverty Alleviation Plan (RPKD) in 2021.

Furthermore, 33 provincial governments did not prepare/establish an Annual Action Plan (RAT) as a guideline for implementing poverty alleviation.

A total of 31 provincial governments were deemed to have not coordinated/not optimally coordinated poverty alleviation policies among working units (satker) and other relevant institutions.

Then, 29 provincial governments were considered to have not coordinated/not optimally coordinated poverty alleviation policies with the policies of district/city governments.

Twenty-seven provincial governments were deemed not to have fully optimally implemented internal controls to ensure that the formulation of poverty alleviation policies supports the achievement of targets in the Medium-Term Regional Development Plan (RPJMD).

Finally, 32 provincial governments were considered not to have fully utilized relevant and accurate population data in designing poverty alleviation policies, and had not undertaken mitigation efforts for risks that could thwart the goals of related policies.

"This resulted in provincial government poverty alleviation programs/activities potentially being off-target, unfocused, and unintegrated. National poverty alleviation targets and objectives are potentially unattainable," wrote the BPK in its report.

Based on these findings, the BPK provided several recommendations to the governors in the relevant provinces to activate the Poverty Alleviation Coordination Team (TKPK).

One recommendation is for the Provincial TKPK to prepare complete and timely RPKD and RAT plans in accordance with regulations. The BPK also recommended that provincial governments improve the quality and use of data in policy formulation.

"The Provincial TKPK and Provincial Social Service should optimize coordination with District/City Social Services to update data on impoverished people, identify poverty areas, causes of poverty, and the potential of poverty-stricken areas to meet the needs of a relevant and accurate integrated population database in designing poverty alleviation policies, including the identification of vulnerable populations," recommended the BPK.