Volleyball body needs strong leader: Kunarto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The first part of a fish to decompose is its
\nhead, or so a Dutch saying goes.<\/p>\n
\"The same holds true for a sports organization like the one
\nwhose chairmanship I am about to give up,\" Gen. (ret) Kunarto,
\nchairman of the Indonesian Volleyball Association, told reporters
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
\"I am not good enough to lift national volleyball to a new
\nhigh and I never will be. I know my abilities. I can no longer
\ncope with the sport's rapid development and increasingly tighter
\ncompetition,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Moreover, as a Supreme Audit Agency official, by law I am not
\nallowed to hold any positions in any organizations which make use
\nof state money,\" he added.<\/p>\n
So was the way Kunarto, former chief of the National Police
\nwho is also deputy chairman of the Supreme Audit Agency,
\nexpressed his intention of resigning at the association's 16th
\nnational congress in Sentul, West Java, scheduled to start on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
One of the congress' main aims will be to finalize rule
\ndecisions for the Indonesian Volleyball League, a merging of
\nLivokarya inter-company clubs and Livotama intercity clubs. The
\nleague was formally set up on Oct. 5 last year and is chaired by
\nMaj. Gen. Hadiman.<\/p>\n
The league's ruling on transfer fees to be paid by a company
\nclub which buys out a player of a city club is expected to
\nhighlight the discussion. Spikers are barred from playing for
\nmore than one club.<\/p>\n
But the most fascinating congress issue will be Kunarto's
\nnomination of Siti Hardijanti Rukmana, President Soeharto's
\neldest daughter and patron of the Indonesian Beach Volleyball
\nAssociation since 1992, to replace him.<\/p>\n
\"The last time I met her, in a meeting in her house a few days
\nafter she attended the 15th leg of the World Beach Volleyball
\nChampionship in Bali in October last year, I told her to replace
\nme,\" Kunarto recalled.<\/p>\n
\"She did not exactly say yes, but from her body language I
\nknow she will. I have known her for quite a long time and I can't
\nbe wrong in taking for granted that she is willing and able,\"
\nKunarto said.<\/p>\n
Criticism<\/p>\n
\"She chairs many organizations and none of them perform
\npoorly. She meets the five requirements a good chairperson should
\nhave: professionalism, excellent leadership and public relations
\nskills, strong financial backup and respect,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Explaining that he was no longer the right man for the
\nassociation's top job, Kunarto made special reference to the poor
\nshowing of the Indonesian teams at the just concluded 18th
\nSoutheast Asian Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.<\/p>\n
The national men's team managed only a bronze medal while the
\nwomen's team was ousted in the qualifying rounds. Indonesian male
\nspikers, the defending champions, were upset by Myanmar in a
\nthrilling five-setter in the final group match before being
\nwhipped by host Thailand in the semifinal.<\/p>\n
\"They were not our best teams, but we had no choice. Senior
\nmembers of the men's team, for instance, lacked discipline and
\ndisobeyed their coaches,\" Kunarto complained. He declined to
\nmention their names.<\/p>\n
\"I knew this too late. I could do nothing but send them to
\nChiang Mai. They underestimated Myanmar, ignored teamwork, tried
\nto zero in on attacks by themselves and were beaten.\"<\/p>\n
\"As for the women's team, we had to include inexperienced
\nplayers because senior and better players such as Anna Manoppo
\nsupported a coach who challenged me,\" Kunarto said.<\/p>\n
Despite the SEA Games failure, Kunarto said he had
\nachievements that he was proud of during his four-year term: the
\ncompilation of the Indonesian volleyball guidebook and the
\nsetting up of a modern volleyball training center in Sentul, West
\nJava. (arf)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/volleyball-body-needs-strong-leader-kunarto-1447893297",
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