The regional legislative council’s oversight as a tool for preventing corruption in local government

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the oversight role of the Regional People’s Representative Council or Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah (DPRD) in preventing corruption and to identify the factors that hinder the DPRD’s oversight of corruption prevention efforts in South Sulawesi. This study employed a normative-empirical research method, utilizing both legal and sociological-legal approaches. Data collection techniques included interviews and a literature review of the relevant literature. The data obtained were organized and analyzed using qualitative descriptive methods. This research was conducted at the South Sulawesi DPRD office. The results of the study indicate that the DPRD exercises oversight in the prevention of corruption by monitoring the implementation of regional regulations, budget utilization, and local government policies using various instruments, such as working meetings, public hearings, interpellations, questionnaires, and oversight of the Regional Budget or Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Daerah (APBD). However, the implementation of these oversight functions has not been optimal, as irregularities are still found in regional financial management and the implementation of the development programs. This indicates that the DPRD’s oversight is not fully effective in preventing corruption. The constraints affecting the DPRD’s oversight include structural constraints, political influence, limited human resources, weak transparency and access to information, conflicts of interest, and weak follow-up on oversight findings. Political relations between the DPRD and the local government affect the independence of oversight, while the low technical capacity of DPRD members in budget oversight and lack of information transparency are major obstacles to achieving effective and accountable oversight. It is necessary to strengthen the capacity of DPRD members, increase transparency, and ensure more independent and professional oversight to support the prevention of local-level corruption.