Embassies unmoved by World Cup fever<\/p>\n
Muhammad Nafik
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The live broadcast of the World Cup on television will soon be
\nupon us. For many Indonesians, the one-month-long competition,
\ndue to start on Friday, will be an exciting time and is likely to
\ndisturb many people's daily lives.<\/p>\n
Jointly hosted by Japan and South Korea, the live broadcast of
\ngames will be on air from the afternoon to late evening between
\nMay 31 and June 29.<\/p>\n
Employers and decision makers are apprehensive that the day-
\ntime viewing hours will prompt less productivity or even
\nabsenteeism.<\/p>\n
But it is apparently not the case for many foreigners living
\nin Indonesia. Embassies and community clubs asked by The Jakarta
\nPost gave the impression that life would be business as usual.<\/p>\n
Definitely, there will be no changes in working hours.<\/p>\n
Diplomats and staff officers at the Japanese, British,
\nItalian, Brazilian, German, Argentinean and French embassies,
\nsaid there would be no World Cup-related activities hosted by
\ntheir offices.<\/p>\n
\"We don't have any program held in our office to enliven the
\nbig event in my country,\" said one Japanese diplomat, who, like
\nmany members of staff from other embassies contacted, requested
\nanonymity.<\/p>\n
However, the Japanese Embassy will entertain questions from
\nIndonesians seeking information concerning the World Cup through
\nits website, he said.<\/p>\n
Mitia Musar, a senior Indonesian official at the Italian
\nEmbassy, said her office planned no activities linked with the
\ngames.<\/p>\n
Ambassador Alessandro Merola will fly home next month as his
\nterm of office in Jakarta ends, she said.<\/p>\n
\"His homegoing has nothing to do with the World Cup,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The German Embassy also has no special programs to hail the
\nWorld Cup.<\/p>\n
\"Working schedules here remain unchanged,\" said a female staff
\nofficer.<\/p>\n
Asked whether diplomats and other officials in her embassy
\nwill be allowed to watch the German team playing, she simply
\nsaid: \"TV sets are not available here\".<\/p>\n
The Brazilian and Argentine embassies, among the world's
\nsoccer super powers, have not arranged any special program
\neither.<\/p>\n
Asked whether they thought watching soccer games on television
\nalongside Indonesian fans would be an interesting program, a
\nstaff member at the Brazilian embassy said: \"Most people already
\nhave a TV at home here\".<\/p>\n
The South Korean Embassy seems to be the only embassy holding
\nsome activities ahead of and during the World Cup.<\/p>\n
It hosted a soccer match between junior high schools for
\nexpatriates in Jakarta in March, in which an Indonesian team won,
\nsaid Jeung-Chil Song, the press and cultural attache at the South
\nKorean Embassy.<\/p>\n
He added he would be visiting big cities across Indonesia to
\npromote his country as the World Cup matches are being played.<\/p>\n
During these trips, he said, he would distribute World Cup
\nsouvenirs and leaflets to Indonesian journalists and soccer fans.<\/p>\n
Some international organizations based in Jakarta also seem to
\nhave no special program either.<\/p>\n
\"We don't have any activities here to celebrate the World Cup.
\nEverything will proceed as normal,\" said M. Zakih, an employee
\nwith the International Sports Club of Indonesia (ISCI).<\/p>\n
A man, who claimed to be a security guard at the Jakarta
\nInternational School, said no special program was planned by his
\noffice to welcome the World Cup.<\/p>\n
\"As far as I know, we don't have such an activity,\" Amaludin
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Kaori Yajima, secretary of the Japan Club, said her
\norganization would carry on its own regular daily activities
\nduring June.<\/p>",
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