Former players support Sutiyoso in bid for PBSI chairmanship

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta

Sutiyoso's bid for the top post at the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) got a boost after a group of former players came out in support of the Jakarta governor.

A petition of support was signed here on Wednesday by 22 former players, including eight-time All England champion Rudy Hartono.

The former players said Sutiyoso was the right person to return Indonesia to a badminton powerhouse after a period of faltering performances that culminated in the men's team failure to retain the Thomas Cup here in May.

"The performance of our national team has declined from year to year and we need someone to take over the reins of the PBSI.

"Sutiyoso is the kind of person who is willing to fight for the players to bring Indonesia back to international supremacy," Rudy said during a press conference at the BII Plaza on Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta.

Sutiyoso, who was nominated by the PBSI's Jakarta chapter, will run against media tycoon Dahlan Iskan for the position of chairman. Dahlan was nominated by the East Java chapter of the association.

The election will take place during an extraordinary meeting here on Saturday that was called to find a replacement for outgoing chairman Chairul Tanjung, who was forced out after proving unable to turn around Indonesia's failing badminton fortunes.

Sutiyoso's vote of confidence from the 22 former players will not count in Saturday's election. However, Rudy said they wanted their voices to be heard by the provincial chapters that will make the final decision.

Others attending the press conference at BII Plaza were Christian Hadinata, who manages the national training camp, women's singles coach Ivana Lie, Tan Joe Hok and Indra Gunawan.

Ade Chandra, the All England men's double champion in 1972 and 1973 along with Christian, said Sutiyoso had a good relationship with provincial administrations across Indonesia, which would make it easier for PBSI's central board to coordinate with the provincial chapters.

Icuk Sugiarto, the head of the PBSI's Jakarta chapter, said he had received messages of support from 22 other chapters for Sutiyoso's nomination.

The 1983 All England champion, Icuk, who was also a member of the five-person working group formed to vet potential replacements for Chairul, acknowledged his irritation at Dahlan's nomination, saying he was betrayed by the other members of the working group.

The other four members are Yacob Rusdianto (East Java chapter), Johannes IW (North Sumatra), Koesdarto Pramono (Central Java) and Mustafa Djide (South Sulawesi).

"They baselessly fear that Sutiyoso will let Chairul Tanjung retain control of the PBSI because the two are friends. Therefore, they pushed Dahlan Iskan so Sutiyoso wouldn't be the only nominee for chairman at the extraordinary meeting," Icuk said.