Strengthening and increasing efforts to eradicate corruption, especially in Indonesia, are still neededJakarta (ANTARA) - Chairperson of the Audit Board of the Financial Services Authority (OJK) Sophia Isabella Wattimena has appealed to government agencies and the community to improve integrity to prevent and eradicate corruption.
“Strengthening and increasing efforts to eradicate corruption, especially in Indonesia, are still needed,” Wattimena stated at the event titled "Proactive and Collaborative in Preventing Corruption in Indonesia" here on Tuesday.
She noted that corruption is an extraordinary crime that must be tackled to address the root of the problem.
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According to Wattimena, efforts to prevent, eradicate, and take action against corruption should be conducted in an integrated manner by the government, the financial services industry, and the community.
The chairperson cited the example that one of the forms of OJK’s commitment to corruption prevention and eradication is its collaboration with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in implementing the mandatory Anti-Bribery Management System (SMAP) in the financial services industry.
Based on the 2022 Integrity Assessment Survey Index carried out by KPK, the OJK ranked 4th out of 620 ministries, agencies, and regional governments, from being previously ranked 19th in 2021.
Meanwhile, especially among non-ministerial agencies, the OJK ranked 2nd out of 61 non-ministerial agencies. OJK earlier ranked 13th in 2021.
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She expressed optimism that these achievements would be improved and become a role model to encourage the creation of a culture of anti-corruption, anti-fraud and anti-bribery among stakeholders, especially in the financial services industry.
At Tuesday's event, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of OJK, Mahendra Siregar, noted that corruption could cause social and economic losses, such as poverty and inequality.
In addition, corrupt practices can become the start of money laundering.
"Corruption is an extraordinary crime. Thus, it must be handled extraordinarily and treated up to the root of the problem," he affirmed.
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Translator: Muhammad Heriyanto, Raka Adji
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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