ASEAN establishes forum for supreme audit agencies

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 11/16/2011 11:44 AM

The premier conference of the newly established ASEAN Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) was officially launched by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Wednesday.

In his opening speech for the event, Yudhoyono said the forum was expected to support the implementation of good governance in Southeast Asia.

“The establishment of the ASEAN SAI is part of our real action to achieve the joint aim. The World Bank has stated that a supreme audit agency is a pillar of national integrity. I agree with that,” he said at the conference venue at the Bali International Convention Center, as quoted by Antara.

The conference saw the signing of a chapter on the establishment of the ASEAN SAI by heads of supreme audit agencies of the 10 ASEAN member states.

ASEAN SAI interim chief Hadi Purnomo, who is also the head of Indonesia’s Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), said he hoped the new forum could support the creation of the ASEAN Community by 2015.

Govt revokes licenses of 28 migrant worker agencies

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 11/07/2011 10:32 AM

The Manpower and Transmigration Ministry has revoked the operating licenses of 28 Indonesian migrant worker recruitment and placement agencies (PPTKIS) for a number of “heavy violations”.

The move was made after the ministry’s evaluation of 387 PPTKIS, the operating licenses of which were due to expire by the end of the year.

Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said on Monday in Jakarta that among the violations were the sending of Indonesian workers to countries like Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Kuwait, Jordan and Syria while a government moratorium on these countries was still in place.

“We’ve also revoked the licenses of [PPTKIS] found to confine migrant workers to shelters for months, without proper facilities, such as beds and bathrooms, and without giving any certainty as to when they will send the workers home,” Muhaimin said in a press statement sent to tribunnews.com.

There were also document forgeries of training certificates, medical track records and in relation to the ages of the workers, the minister added.

Muhaimin also said that the government was currently hiring an independent body to map and appraise a total of 565 PPTKIS operating in the country.

“Hopefully next month, the result of the assessment, mapping and thorough evaluation of the 565 PPTKIS will be completed. And thus we will find out which PPTKIS are to have their licenses revoked, and which shall be educated, restructured or merged so as to improve the performances,” he said.