RI sports still in the balance despite new bill<\/p>\n
Budi A. Sanusi and Achmad Gozali, Contributors, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Credit should be given to the National Sports Council (KONI) and
\nthe Directorate General of Sports at the Ministry of National
\nEducation for the drafting of the sports bill now being
\ndeliberated by the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
The bill is the first of its kind in Indonesian sports history
\nand hopefully will be passed immediately into law by the House.
\nIf passed, the bill could prove to be a landmark in national
\nsports development, marking a new era of improving performances
\nby Indonesian athletes competing in international events.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, however, deliberation of the bill does not seem
\nto be a top priority for House Commission VI for social and
\npeople's welfare, which says there are many other bills awaiting
\ndeliberation.<\/p>\n
Still, this sports bill is \"conditio sine qua non\" --
\nsomething that is inevitable if the country is intent on seeing
\nits athletes stand on equal footing with their foreign
\ncounterparts.<\/p>\n
The bill is necessary because it covers a great deal of
\naspects pertaining to the life and condition of sportsmen and
\nwomen, both when they are still competing and after they have
\ncalled it a day.<\/p>\n
It is sad to note that many Indonesian athletes who earned
\nmuch fame and adulation during their careers are now trying to
\nscrape out a living.<\/p>\n
Take, for example, the fate of former long distance runner
\nGurnam Singh and former footballer Abdul Kadir.<\/p>\n
Singh, a bronze medalist at the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games,
\nended up as a handyman doing odd jobs and a street sweeper. He
\nwas even reportedly forced to live in a Hindu temple in Medan,
\nNorth Sumatra, after he was evicted from his house after losing a
\nlegal dispute.<\/p>\n
Kadir, a member of the star-studded national team of the late
\n'60s and early '70s that notched a string of celebrated victories
\nin Asia, including the prestigious King's Cup in Bangkok, is now
\nlying in a hospital bed due to kidney failure. Now 53, Kadir
\nhowever, is more fortune than Singh because he receives financial
\nsupport from his former teammates, officials of the Soccer
\nAssociation of Indonesia and President Megawati Soekarnoputri's
\nhusband, Taufik Kiemas.<\/p>\n
These two cases are just an illustration of the poverty and
\nmisfortune affecting many former national athletes, which could
\nhave been prevented had an effective sports law been in force.<\/p>\n
We certainly do not want these types of misfortunes to
\ncontinue taking place in the future. To this end, the House
\nshould expedite the process of passing the sports bill into law.<\/p>\n
However, a careful read of all of the articles of the sports
\nbill shows that something quite essential is missing: it does not
\nclearly elaborate on the certainty of social security for
\nathletes, particularly amateurs, once their playing days are
\nover. Though there is a clause in the sports bill concerning the
\nfuture and social security of athletes, it is vague and unclear
\nwhether this social security will allow the athletes to live
\ndecent lives.<\/p>\n
To paraphrase founding president Sukarno, \"A great nation is a
\nnation that can honor its heroes.\" Indonesia should then treat
\nthe athletes who have done the nation proud like heroes.<\/p>\n
What is happening now is that they are garlanded and given a
\nmotorcade when they are still competing. But once they make an
\nexit due to age and injury they are simply neglected.<\/p>\n
Sports heroes deserve to be treated as such, with sufficient
\nsecurity for a decent life in the future. In fact, this is one of
\nthe most pivotal points that should be explicitly spelled out in
\nthe bill, which would spur our athletes to perform better and
\nbetter.<\/p>\n
This in turn would attract and more and more talented
\nyoungsters to become athletes, with their eyes fixed on making a
\nname for themselves.<\/p>\n
It remains to be seen, however, whether the bill will serve
\nits purpose once it is passed into law, or if it is merely a
\ncostly venture with no significant meaning.<\/p>\n
All in all, the Indonesian people should have a sense of
\noptimism that things are on the right track, and KONI should be
\nlauded for this breakthrough. This step, of course, should have
\nbeen taken long before, but as the old saying goes better late
\nthan never.<\/p>\n
Bearing in mind that KONI chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar will
\nend his tenure early next year, it would be fitting to have the
\nsports bill passed into law before he bids farewell to the
\nnational sports community. This would not only honor Wismoyo's
\ndedication and initiative in proposing the bill, but also could
\nmark a milestone and provide a legal instrument for the next KONI
\nchairman to act swiftly in order to make comprehensive
\nimprovements within the national sports system.<\/p>\n
However, it seems that everything is hanging in the balance
\ndespite the bill. But let's keep our fingers crossed that the
\nbill bodes well for the improvement of Indonesian sports.<\/p>",
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