AAAA seeks support for reelection of Bob Hasan

JAKARTA (JP): The Asian Amateur Athletics Association (AAAA) is drumming up support for the reelection of Mohamad "Bob" Hasan as the organization's chairman.

AAAA vice president Kadit Bin Altami of Qatar is in Jakarta to lobby the state minister of youth affairs and sports, the National Sports Council (KONI) chairman and the attorney general to clear the way for Hasan's reelection.

Bin Altami said on Thursday the purpose for his visit to Jakarta was also to supervise preparations for the organization's congress on Aug. 2 and the Asian Championships from Aug. 3 to Aug. 5.

"Bob Hasan has supported athletics development in Asia and the world. My colleagues in AAAA asked me to visit Indonesia to support Hasan's reelection. There are three people from India, Pakistan and Kuwait who want to become president of AAAA. We didn't want Indonesia to lose its presidential seat," he said.

Hasan, who is also chairman of the Indonesian Amateur Athletics Association (PASI) and a member of the International Olympics Committee, was detained on March 28 after being named a suspect in a US$87 million fraud case involving a government contract to perform aerial mapping and airborne radar imaging of the country's forestry resources.

The contract was awarded to Hasan, the Indonesian Forest Concessionaires Association chairman, in 1994 and the project was carried out by PT Mapindo Parama with money from the government's reforestation fund.

"Some people will take advantage of Hasan's situation because they want to become president (of AAAA). It's not fair considering what Hasan has done over the last nine years. We are not talking about politics. We see things from a sports point of view. Hasan is a good man in sports and he has helped lots of people," Altami said.

State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mahadi Sinambela said: "It's a legal problem. I prefer Pak Hasan be released from detention. But we must leave the problem to the court of law to see if he is guilty.

"Ethically, a guilty person must not be elected chairman of an organization."

Hasan's lawyer Augustinus Hutajulu told The Jakarta Post that Altami acquired a special permit from Attorney General Marzuki Darusman to visit Hasan.

"The visit was to discuss the announcement of the four candidates for AAAA's upcoming presidential election. As the current president, Pak Bob should make the announcement," Augustinus said.

KONI chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar said PASI's success in hosting the Asian Championships, which will also serve as a warm- up for the Olympic Games in Sydney in September, would demonstrate Indonesia's ability to host international events despite the security concerns of participants. (01/yan)