Corruption practices are increasingly prevalent among political elites and government officials. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has identified the public procurement sector as one of the most corruption-prone areas, consuming around 30% of the national budget (APBN) annually. Ironically, the regulations governing this sector often accommodate corruption, leading to what is known as state capture.
Responding to this concern, a team of UGM students conducted a study on how social audits could serve as a preventive mechanism by involving community participation in monitoring the public procurement process. The approach aims to deter potential offenders by increasing public scrutiny.
“This solution stems from the question: can corruption be tackled through public participation? Considering Indonesia’s large population, it seems possible,” said Ratri Dwiyanti, a member of the research team under the UGM Student Creativity Program for Social Sciences and Humanities Research (PKM-RSH), on Thursday (Oct. 16).
The research, titled “Social Audit: A Solution to State Capture Corruption and a Means to Enhance Transparency in Public Procurement through the E-Catalog System”, was carried out by a multidisciplinary UGM team consisting of Muhammad Aditya Nugroho Sofyan (Social and Political Sciences), Alfian Husni Mubarok (Vocational College), Martin Andini (Economics and Business), Ratri Dwiyanti (Economics and Business), and Wahyu Fajar Nur Rohim (Law), with Alfath Bagus Panuntun El Nur Indonesia serving as the supervising lecturer.
Based on interviews conducted with various stakeholders, divided into four categories: E-Catalog providers (LKPP), E-Catalog users (Ministry of Public Works, Jakarta Provincial Government, and Vendor Cakraw), E-Catalog overseers (KPK, Audit Board/BPK, and Financial and Development Supervisory Agency/BPKP), and social audit practitioners (Indonesian Corruption Watch/ICW, Transparency International Indonesia/TII, and anti-corruption researchers).
The study found that a lack of transparency remains a major issue within the E-Catalog system, creating room for corruption.
The respondents emphasized the importance of information disclosure and supported the implementation of social audits. They argued that public involvement could minimize corruption and improve public trust in governance.
However, representatives from state institutions noted concerns about the accuracy of public reports and the extent to which procurement data can be shared, given the presence of personal information.
Meanwhile, non-governmental respondents highlighted fears of criminalization and the frequent lack of follow-up on submitted complaints.
“This research seeks to formulate how social audits can be effectively implemented based on the insights and feedback gathered from all respondents,” said Dwiyanti.
The research will produce a scientific article and a policy brief, which the team hopes will serve as input for policymakers responsible for overseeing and managing the E-Catalog system.
“We hope this study fosters optimism among Indonesians in the fight against corruption,” Dwiyanti concluded.
Author: Alena Damaris
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photographs: PKM team on social audits