PEKANBARU - Isa Lahamid, the chairman of the Pekanbaru City Regional People's Representative Council, expressed his worries over the City Government's current financial deficit.

He claims that this situation significantly affects a number of government operations for which payments must be delayed. Employees who had not received their pay also complained as a consequence of this.

“The fact that so many activities have had funding delays makes it quite concerning. Our police have received several complaints from the neighborhood and workers whose wages have not been paid,” said Isa Lahamid, Thursday (31/10/2024).

Apart from that, Isa also mentioned that honorariums from a number of elements of society such as the administrators of Madrasah Diniyah Takmiliyah Awaliyah (MDTA) and Posyandu were also experiencing delays.

“Yesterday, several Posyandu administrators came to my room to question their salaries. We must prioritize things like this so that their welfare is guaranteed,” he stated.

Isa explained that the cause of the budget deficit was still being investigated further.

“This is still being explored and explored further. In the future, perhaps budget planning needs to be strengthened so that it is more targeted,” he said.

The Riau Provincial Inspectorate is now conducting an audit, the findings of which the Pekanbaru City Regional People's Representative Council is also awaiting. With this audit, Isa intends to have a comprehensive understanding of the budgetary restrictions in the area.

“Now there is an audit from the provincial inspectorate. We are waiting for the results of the audit to get a true picture of what are the obstacles in our regional finances,” he conclued.

Previously, member of the Pekanbaru City Regional People's Representative Council, Fatullah, asked the Financial Audit Agency to immediately conduct an audit of the financial
management of the Pekanbaru City Government.

After seeing that Pekanbaru's financial situation, presently headed by Mayor Risnandar Mahiwa, is in deficit as a result of inadequate financial management under former Mayor Muflihun's leadership, Fatullah made the request.

According to Fatullah, this has a big impact on basic needs such as paying employee salaries, honorariums and including RT/RW incentive payments and other needs.

“We learned that several things, including staff pay and honoraria for neighborhood incentives, had not been paid. And the present official (Risnandar Mahiwa) and the former official (Muflihun) both engaged in bad financial management, which led to this issue. It must be horrible. Because of the current financial situation, current leaders are unable to do much,” said Fatullah, Tuesday (22/10/2024).

This Democrat politician claims that the Financial Audit Agency's audit will assist the Pekanbaru City Government in determining Pekanbaru's financial situation and disseminating it across the city.

“Here, we believe that the budget is being misused, and this has to be investigated and reported. Here's a tiny sample of the funds that ought to have gone into RT RW operations. When the new official examined, it was discovered that the funds had run out and were no longer available, which ultimately prevented them from paying for the RT RW, staff allowances, wages, and other expenses. According to the information we got, the budgetary situation prevents various departments from carrying out their operations,” said Fatullah.

Author: Mimi Purwanti
Editor: Riki