Ex-sprinter races against drug abuse

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.