House not consulted over SEAG fund-raising drive<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Several legislators were outraged yesterday at a
\ngovernment-sanctioned practice to force people to buy stickers to
\nfinance the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Jakarta in October.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives was never consulted by the
\ngovernment about the fund-raising activity as required by the
\n1945 Constitution for every official attempt to raise money from
\nthe public, they said.<\/p>\n
The legislators, Zarkasih Nur of the United Development Party
\n(PPP), Djathi Koesoemo of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
\nand Popong Otje Djundjunan of the dominant Golkar faction, were
\ninterviewed separately on the controversy over the stickers.<\/p>\n
The Minister of Social Services Inten Soeweno has given PT
\nTata Insani Mukti, the private consortium appointed by the
\ngovernment to organize the preparation and construction of
\ninfrastructure for the SEA Games, the go-ahead to raise Rp 40
\nbillion ($16 million) in funds by selling stickers. The scheme
\nhas also been approved by Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja.<\/p>\n
PT Angkasa Ronagraha, a member of the consortium, is
\nconducting the fund-raising activity by selling some 18 million
\nstickers with nominal values of between Rp 1,000 and Rp 50,000.<\/p>\n
Although Inten's decree stipulates that it is a donation,
\npeople paying their utility bills have been forced to buy
\nstickers. Many hotels and restaurants have also been asking
\npatrons to buy the stickers, although management would say it is
\nvoluntary.<\/p>\n
"This is a violation of the 1945 Constitution," Zarkasih Nur,
\nfrom the House's Commission IX overseeing sports, said.<\/p>\n
The only way to solve this is to abide by the constitution,
\nand this means the government must discuss it first with the
\nHouse, Zarkasih said.<\/p>\n
Zarkasih said the government had already allocated funds for
\nthe SEA Games in the 1997\/1998 budget and the Jakarta city
\nadministration had done the same. There was no cause for the
\ngovernment to burden people with such donations, he said.<\/p>\n
Djathi Koesoemo, also from Commission IX, questioned the
\nadministration about the funds, recalling a controversy over the
\nabsence of any official account about the funds raised in a
\nsimilar way last year to finance the National Games in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Djathi said people would not object so much to paying for the
\nstickers if the money was managed properly and transparently.<\/p>\n
Popong, from Commission VIII overseeing social services, said
\ntransparency in managing the public funds was a key to obtaining
\npopular support.<\/p>\n
Otherwise, she added, people would refuse to pay the donation.<\/p>\n
Popong regretted the fund-raising activity was launched while
\nthe House was in recess. The government should have waited until
\nnext June when the House is back in session. "It should not have
\ndone this without our approval," she said. (11)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/house-not-consulted-over-seag-fund-raising-drive-1447893297",
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