Agung urges transparency in SEA Games sticker sales

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Agung Laksono urged the 19th SEA Games (SEAG) underwriting consortium Monday to immediately settle its debts and to be more transparent over its Rp 64 billion deficit.

Agung said after meeting with the consortium's business and fund deputy Enggartiasto Lukita and member Oki Tjandrawinata that in its audited report, the consortium said that it had accrued financial losses from budget overruns, while sticker sale revenues failed to reach a targeted Rp 35 billion.

Agung refused to unveil how much the consortium had raised from sticker sales from July 1996 to Dec. 31 last year.

The stickers, imposed on telephone, water and electricity users, airplane passengers and car owners, were sold under a ministerial decree issued by then minister of social services Endang Kusuma Inten Soeweno.

"I have just received the audited report and have only taken a glance at it," Agung said.

Enggartiasto was tightlipped after the meeting.

The consortium's executive director, Bambang Yoga Soegama, said in February that as of that month the organization had collected Rp 20.55 billion. He predicted revenues from the sales would increase.

Agung said Monday that the consortium, chaired by President Soeharto's son Bambang Trihatmodjo, had budgeted Rp 105 billion (US$42 million at the old rate of Rp 2,500) to stage the Games here, but that the costs had totaled Rp 156 billion.

"The consortium covered the deficit from bank loans because the Games had to take place anyway. It now must pay the debts while waiting for sticker sale revenues," he said.

He would not disclose which bank had extended credits to the consortium.

He said he would discuss the report with National Sports Council (KONI) top officials before presenting it to Minister of Social Services Siti Hardijanti Rukmana.

Agung also suggested that the consortium publicly disclose information regarding the accountability report.

"It collected the public's money, so I hope they (the consortium) can settle their internal matters immediately and report it to the public as well," he said.

He said the public could file lawsuits against the consortium if irregularities were found in the report audited by public accountant KPMG Hanadi Soejendro & friends.

"Legal procedures are worth seeking if the public finds something wrong in the report, but please be proportional. Never deliberately exaggerate a small mistake," Agung said. "The consortium has helped the country organize an important sporting event." (emf)