The parliament should ensure there are no agreements or cartels that are controlling the prices
Jakarta (ANTARA) - House of Representatives' Commission XI, Puteri Anetta Komarudin, highlighted the need for the parliament to continually supervise COVID-19 handling budgets to ensure there are no cartels in the medical devices sector controlling market prices.

"The parliament should ensure there are no agreements or cartels that are controlling the prices," she noted in a statement received here, Friday.

Anetta, concurrently a member of the House's Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Board, made the statement at a virtual seminar themed “The Parliament's Role in Supervising COVID-19 Budget” held by the Board, in cooperation with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

Apart from keeping cartels at bay, Anetta believed that the House should also ensure that the government-procured medical devices are of good quality and in line with the World Health Organization's standards.

"The parliament should monitor the procurement process within the government as a precautionary measure against likely maladministration and corruption," she emphasized.

Should there be alleged violations in the government's procurement process of medical devices, Anetta made assurance of the parliament immediately following up on the matter.

Moreover, Anetta drew attention to their efforts in supervising the distribution of social assistance carried out by the government.

"I believe that we have effectively fulfilled our supervising roles pertaining to the government's distribution of social assistance and ensured the aid is being offered to those who need them in a timely manner while at the same time ascertaining that the regulations are being enforced and that transparency is heightened," she expounded.

President Joko Widodo had earlier reportedly issued a directive to step up surveillance on the spending of the allocated Rp695.2 trillion for the COVID-19 handling budget. (INE)

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Translator: Fathur Rochman/Aria Cindyara
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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