The Board Member II of The Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia, Taufiequrachman Ruki opened the technical meeting on the establishment of ASEAN Supreme Audit Institution (ASEAN SAI) or the association of Supreme Audit Institutions of ASEAN member states on Monday, July 25, 2011 at Atlet Century Park Hotel, Jakarta.
The opening of this meeting was attended by Director General of ASEAN Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Djauhari Oratmangun, the echelons I of The Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia, and delegates from nine ASEAN countries namely Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Phillipines. Taufiequrachman Ruki explained that the establishment of ASEAN SAI is in conjunction with the goal of ASEAN to establish the ASEAN Community 2015. In accordance with the above mentioned fact, the closer and enhanced cooperation State Audit Institutions of ASEAN Member States is required to give contribution in the accomplishment of ASEAN goals and objectives.
ASEAN SAI was established as a forum to support and enhance the capacity and technical cooperation state audit institutions of ASEAN member states; encourage the exchange of information, best practices and learning as well as promote good governance in ASEAN. It is in line with ASEAN objective mentioned in ASEAN Charter, it is to strengthen democracy, enhance good governance and the rule of law as well as promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.
“The Corruption Perception Index in Indonesia is always low. It also happened in other ASEAN countries except Singapore. The cooperation within ASEAN SAI is aimed to promote the good governance in order to make the Corruption Perception Index of our countries could be improved by managing better state finance and good governance,” said Taufiequrachman Ruki.
The same thing was also highlighted by Djauhari Oratmangun. The forum like ASEAN SAI was needed. “The establishment of ASEAN Community in 2015 involves three things, namely : politics and security, economics and social culture. The good governance would capture those three pillars” explained the Director General of ASEAN Cooperation in his opening speech.
This three-day technical meeting held until July 27, 2011 discussed the draft of the establishment of ASEAN SAI by collecting the same perception for the next coming meeting. As it is planned, ASEAN SAI would be declared in Bali in November 2011 during ASEAN Summit.
