All governors urged to support sticker sales
JAKARTA (JP): Governors from Indonesia's 27 provinces have been urged to support the sale of stickers to raise money for the 19th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
A meeting yesterday involving the minister of internal affairs, Yogie S Memet, the National Sports Council's chairman, Wismoyo Arismunandar, and the SEA Games consortium's business and promotions deputy, Enggartiasto Lukita, concluded that the government would probably support further sticker sales.
The council's spokesman, Ishadi SK, quoted Yogie as saying that the ministry had never had anything to do with the selling of SEA Games stickers but had received a copy of the Ministry of Social Services' decree in mid-July.
"We got involved after controversy broke out among the people," Ishadi said.
The ministry issued a note, dated July 18, asking governors to help raise funds through stickers sales.
Ishadi said the SEA Games consortium would directly control all sticker sales and not subcontract the responsibility to another company, like it did earlier this year to PT Angkasa Rona Graha (PT ARG).
"We should not repeat our past mistakes," he said.
The sale of stickers became a problem because the consortium's program was unclear and because of mismanagement.
"Unfortunately, the mismanagement was exposed which forced the public to be apathetic about the program and it forced governors to delay stickers sales in their provinces," he said.
Enggartiasto said the consortium failed to make the public understand its program.
"Although the consortium has received a ministerial decree to sell stickers, if it concerns the people all 27 provinces' governors must know about the program," he said.
Enggartiasto said the ministerial decree made selling stickers easier by limiting who could sell the stickers and where they could be sold
Bank loans
The minister for youth affairs and sports, Hayono Isman, said the consortium had enough credibility to secure bank loans to solve the SEA Games' funds shortage.
"Banks should not worry about the consortium's credibility in paying back the money it borrows for the success of the event," Hayono said after opening the 1997 Indonesian Sports Exhibition.
"I guarantee the consortium has good intentions in securing loans for the SEA Games which are drawing near," he said.
On Wednesday, the consortium's chairman, Bambang Trihatmodjo, said the consortium would report to the President and get bank loans if it could not raise the necessary funds to stage the Games.
PT ARG, which used to have the contract to sell the stickers, collected just Rp 3.7 billion (US$1.4 million).
It has promised to transfer another Rp 3 billion it raised by selling stickers to state-owned electricity firm PLN and PT Telkom customers.
PT ARG put in some money itself and gave the consortium a total of Rp 17 billion, just over half the Rp 30 billion it promised.
Controversy broke out because there were no reports of how much PT ARG collected between November 1996 and June 1997.
The consortium's executive director, Bambang Yoga Soegama, said the consortium spent Rp 34.2 million financing the national training program, despite reports that the program lacked money.
"We have different priority posts now because we are focusing on importing sports equipment, which must arrive here by the end of August," he said.
"But we'll pay the money by mid-October," he said.
Bambang said the consortium would provide Rp 4 billion more for the training program and Rp 12 billion for accommodation downpayments. (03/yan)