Ex-sprinter races against drug abuse
Reza G., Contributor, Jakarta
Thirty-nine years ago, Mohamad Sarengat, sprinted the 100 meter's course in 10.4 seconds to set what was then a new Asian Games record. He brought home a second gold and record in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing in 14.3 seconds, in the 1962 Asian Games. Sarengat became an instant national hero for bringing glory and pride to Indonesia.
Now, 61-year-old Sarengat remains as dedicated to the nation, if not more so, than he was then. But unlike the heyday of his athletic years, he is working quietly far from the glare of media publicity.
The cause is no less noble or glorious than what he did for his country nearly four decades ago: He is helping to cure victims of drug abuse. This is a tall order given the rapid increase in cases of drug abuse in Indonesia. But this is no hurdle for the former athlete.
Dr. Sarengat -- who is happily married with his university- days sweetheart Nani and is blessed with three children: Medi, Sari and Andung -- runs a drug abuse rehabilitation center in a tiny village located in a verdant valley of Mt. Salak.
Sports and drugs don't mix, but sports and antidrug campaigns do, at least, that is the motto of Sarengat's drug treatment.
The center is aptly named the Wijaya Kusuma Sports Campus, or SCWK, because it uses sport as an important part of the rehabilitation process.
Sarengat, who also serves as director of operations of the state agency which manages the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex at Senayan, became an antidrug activist by default, if not by chance. Like many other people who have taken up the cause, he had a very personal reason for joining the campaign three years ago: His only son, now 22-year old Andung, was a victim.
Sarengat said the shock, shame and pain changed his whole outlook on life. He brought Andung to a rehabilitation center in Malaysia. He learned his first lesson about drug victims: that when a member of the family becomes sick (a victim of drug abuse), the whole family becomes sick too.
Today, not only has Andung recovered and is drug-free, he is helping his father in running the SCWK.
"As an expression of my gratitude to God Almighty for saving my son Andung, I will dedicate my life to helping and preventing others from becoming victims of drug abuse," Sarengat said.
Located on the outskirts of Bogor, about an hour from Jakarta, the complex occupies a 5,000 square meter area, in a village nestled in a valley facing Mt. Salak.
The natural beauty of the surrounding area with the lush green rice fields and the rolling hills make Wijaya Kusuma the perfect place for the center.
SCWK provides a comprehensive program of prevention, therapy and rehabilitation.
Its vision -- the creation of a drug-free young generation of Indonesians through a comprehensive information, education and training program and activities -- may sound like a tall order given the growing prevalence of drug abuse in Indonesia.
Its mission is to raise awareness about the dangers of substance abuse and to encourage the youth to do preventive work as well as to provide opportunities for drug addicts to undergo rehabilitation.
Wijaya Kusuma works closely with many non-governmental organizations, drug abuse rehabilitation centers, the National Narcotics Coordinating Board (NNCB), the Social Cooperation Agency for Promoting Noble Citizens (BERSAMA), foreign embassies and United Nations bodies such as the UN International Drug Control Program (UNDCP).
The center employs the "therapeutic community" method.
Here, therapeutic communities are residential units in which residents gain progressively higher status and responsibilities, as they internalize socially accepted behavior. Individual commitment to the community is emphasized, with senior residents and staff counseling new residents as role models.
The one-year program at Wijaya Kusuma includes periods of induction, treatment, reentry and aftercare. Its facilities include education, vocational training, health services, nutrition and dietary care, sports and physical fitness and focuses on rebuilding families.
Sports is one of Wijaya Kusuma's strengths. There is basketball, soccer, volleyball, tennis and martial arts (Merpati Putih) for the residents to choose from.
An SCWK Basketball Cup Tournament among high schools and rehabilitation centers in Jakarta was held in August to encourage the drive of Sports Against Drugs.
"We strongly believe in the philosophy mensana in copore sano, (in a healthy body, there is a healthy mind)," says Dr. Sarengat.
In support of the SCWK, the Roving Insight Executives and Diplomatic Club is holding a fund-raising slalom car test at the Bung Karno Sports Stadium on Sunday. Proceeds will go to the rehab center to help victims of drug abuse and its antidrug campaign. The two-minute amateur race is open to advanced drivers, who will compete for the Ambassador's Cup.