Consumers foundation cautious in Games sticker probe

Consumers foundation cautious in Games sticker probe

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Consumers Foundation's vice
chairman, Agus Pambagio, said yesterday that the foundation was
being very careful in its investigation of alleged mismanagement
of the 19th SEA Games fund-raising revenue.

"We're looking for the mastermind and we must be very careful
in our investigation in order to avoid wrongly accusing someone.
We don't want any scapegoat to be blamed," said Agus, who was
accompanied by the foundation's chairperson Tini Hadad.

A consortium responsible for financing the Rp 156 billion
(US$15.6 million) biennial event here last October raised funds
by selling stickers to electricity, telephone and cellular phones
customers. But many people did not receive stickers even though
they were billed for them.

Agus said 40 people had faxed in complaints, while many others
phoned in or sent letters complaining about paying for stickers
they did not receive.

"Basically the customers did not mind paying for the stickers.
But they want transparent reports on how the money was used,"
Tini said.

The foundation has also sent letters to governors and the
minister of tourism, post and telecommunications asking for a
meeting to clarify matters.

"But we have to wait until the General Session of the People's
Consultative Assembly finishes because all governors and
ministers have to attend the session," he said.

State-owned companies PT PLN, PT Telkom, the Ministry of
Transportation and provincial revenue agencies were appointed to
sell the stickers.

The consortium, chaired by President Soeharto's second son
Bambang Trihatmodjo, said in its report that it suffered a Rp
68.1 billion loss, raising Rp 87.9 billion against outgoing costs
of Rp 156 billion.

Out of the Rp 87.9 billion income, third party PT Angkasa Rona
Graha (ARG), which was appointed to collect money amassed through
sticker sales by the state-owned firms, only submitted Rp 18.75
billion from three months of sticker sales from May to July 1997.

"We'll ask governors whether they knew that PT ARG
subcontracted the sticker sales to another party," Agus said.
"We'll also want clarification from the new minister of social
services."

The foundation will meet next week with the Jakarta Legal Aid
Institute's director Apong Herlina, the Institute for Policy
Research and Advocacy's director Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara and
senior lawyer Luhut Pangaribuan to discuss the possibility of
filing suit against the consortium.

Tini said the foundation might not be able to file a class
action suit despite the many complaints about the sticker sales.

"It would be more difficult to sue the consortium by charging
them of breaking the Civil Law Code. We can only sue an
individual not a department," Tini said.

Last week, Apong said the consortium could be sued for
breaking article 1365 of the Civil Law Code.

Judge Benjamin Mangkoedilaga from the Jakarta State
Administrative High Court said Wednesday that the consortium
could be sued for breaking the Criminal Code for alleged unclear
responsibility for sticker sales.

"But it will be difficult because we can only sue a person,
whoever would be the most responsible person in the consortium,"
he said, as quoted by Republika.

Benjamin also said there was indication of poor management of
the sticker sales money.

"The money should have been used to finance the Games, but we
don't know how it was spent," he said. (yan)