Village head mismanage village funds not to immediately proceed for legal process

Last updated on May 6th, 2021 at 07:48 am

Data shows that about 60 percent of village heads (kades) did not graduate from the High School (SMA). For this reason, the Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian asked law enforcement agencies such as the police and prosecutors not to directly process the law of the village head who made mistakes in managing village fund administration.

“The mismanagement of village funds is due to the inability of the village head in the process of financial administration, the solution must be through guidance not by legal action,” the Minister of Home Affairs said at a working meeting to accelerate the distribution and management of village funds in 2020 in Palembang on Friday (28/02).

However, Tito also asserted, if indeed the village head was known to deliberately deviate village funds for personal interests such as buying a car or building a village head house or made deviations to enrich themselves. “That may be immediately given legal action,” said the former National Police Chief.

Furthermore, Tito explained, the allocation of village funds amounting to Rp 1 billion is often not circulated because the village head is afraid to use them, thus hampering the village development program. To prevent mismanagement of village funds, the village head is asked to improve managerial and financial administration skills.

On the same occasion, Tito asked the village head to continue to improve his knowledge and abilities, and appealed to the local government to support the improvement effort.

“The increase in knowledge and capability can be done independently by the village head and district government support by facilitating the village head to follow leadership training and financial administration,” said Tito.

During this time many village heads are afraid of using village funds because they are “haunted” by matters of law. Do not let the village head be afraid to use the village funds allocated to build the village. “If the village head has used village funds in accordance with their allotments, they will not be prosecuted,” he concluded. Meanwhile, the Minister of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration, Abdul Halim Iskandar asked the village head to use village funds on target so that they could avoid abuse and legal problems.

“The village funds distributed directly from the center to the village of around Rp1 billion are not for the village head but for the entire village community,” Abdul Halim said at the same event.

He added, village funds must be used to build infrastructure such as roads, bridges, irrigation, and integrated health post (posyandu). It is also used to carry out programs to improve community welfare that can reduce poverty and open employment opportunities.