
14/10/2011 – 10:45
On Thursday, 13 October, 2011, delegations of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of the 10 ASEAN member states held a meeting of senior officials (Senior Officials Meeting) on establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASEANSAI). The meeting, which lasted for one day, was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Jakarta.
Senior official level meeting was a continuation of the technical meeting which was held on 25 to 27 July 2011 in Jakarta. The purpose of this meeting was to finalize the draft of agreement and prepare the declaration of ASEANSAI which was scheduled in November 2011 in Bali, as a part of the series of 19th ASEAN Summit.
The meeting was opened by the Chairman of the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia (BPK RI), Hadi Poernomo, and was attended by Foreign Minister, Marty M. Natalegawa, Vice Chairman and Members of BPK RI, as well as delegates from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
In his speech, Chairman of BPK RI said that this meeting was one of the important and historic milestones toward the ASEANSAI establishment. “As a part of the ASEAN community that focuses on audit on state finances, we need cooperation on exchange of knowledge and experience. This can be achieved through the establishment of ASEANSAI,” said Hadi Poernomo.
The ASEANSAI establishment was also supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to Foreign Minister, the establishment of ASEANSAI would make a major contribution in joint efforts to achieve an ASEAN Community based on the principle of accountability, good governance, and law enforcement.
“We hope ASEANSAI can generate fresh ideas and concrete cooperation projects to enhance the ability of ASEAN member states in implementing the proper auditing. In addition, to ensure that our practices are run in accordance with the international standards,” said Marty.
Establishment of ASEANSAI was motivated by the similarity in the ASEAN region, the common culture, needs, and challenges ahead. Hopefully, ASEANSAI will give an important role for SAIs enhancement, particularly in ASEAN member states.
The result of the meeting of senior officials is refining the draft of agreement so that the Chairpersons of SAIs, who would meet in Bali in November for the declaration, no longer have crucial matters to be discussed. ASEANSAI declaration would be witnessed by the leaders of ASEAN member states.