The Director General of Regional Administration Development at the Ministry of Home Affairs Safrizal Zakaria Ali has asked the Aceh Provincial Government to immediately disburse Unforeseen Expenditure (BTT) funds to accelerate disaster management in the region.
"The safety of the people is the highest law. During this emergency response period, speed is crucial for success in disaster recovery and management," Safrizal said in a statement.
This was conveyed by Safrizal at the Aceh Disaster Management Acceleration Meeting held at the Aceh Governor's Office which was attended by the Director General of Regional Finance of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Aceh Provincial Secretary, and other related parties.
One of the main obstacles to disaster management in Aceh is the non-disbursement of the Unexpected Expenditure (BTT) funds, which are crucial for expediting disaster response. This meeting also aims to consolidate the accelerated utilization of the BTT.
"The regulations clearly regulate the use of BTT, namely Government Regulation Number 12 of 2019 concerning Regional Financial Management. Article 69 paragraph (1) states that an emergency that meets the criteria for using BTT spending funds is a natural disaster. This must be understood, that needs and cost constraints can be solved by utilizing BTT as a solution," he said.
BTT funds can be used for procurement of goods and services in eight areas: search and rescue, emergency assistance, evacuation, clean water and sanitation, food and clothing, health services, and temporary shelter and housing. These provisions are stipulated in Home Affairs Ministerial Regulation No. 77 of 2020 concerning Technical Guidelines for Regional Financial Management.
"With a procurement scheme in eight areas, the BTT funds can address urgent needs, while also utilizing BTT funds and financial assistance from other provinces such as East Java, East Nusa Tenggara, North Kalimantan, and North Sulawesi. These resources must be optimized as soon as possible for recovery," said Safrizal.
Responding to this, Aceh Provincial Secretary Muhammad Nasir stated that the BTT disbursement process would be completed tomorrow. Furthermore, the Aceh Provincial Government is also encouraging the use of Rp143 billion in 18 regencies/cities across Aceh.
"After this meeting, all related SKPA must complete their work tonight, so that the BTT can be disbursed tomorrow," said Nasir.
