Games sticker alternative for entry ticket: Official
Games sticker alternative for entry ticket: Official
JAKARTA (JP): City council's deputy spokesman yesterday
recommended the 19th SEA Games stickers be exchanged as Games
entry tickets to encourage more people to support the sports
event.
The government has repeatedly called on the public to support
the sports extravaganza and make it successful by buying the
stickers which were administered and issued by a government
appointed consortium.
Ismunandar said the public had questioned the consortium's
motive of making stickers to sell and making people pay for them
when they settle their utility bills.
"To end their queries, the consortium had better allow
citizens to watch the games by showing the stickers," Ismunandar
said, adding that it would then motivate more people to support
and help finance the event.
The Jakarta municipality's social organization's deputy
Bambang Subekti said the government had set up a monitoring
commission to control and evaluate the revenue from sticker
sales.
"All agencies allowed to sell the stickers are required to
report their collections every month," said Bambang, who is also
a monitoring commission member.
"However, none of them have sent a report because some
agencies have just started selling the stickers."
Ismunandar said the lack of monitoring had raised doubt among
the public regarding the consortium's fund-raising project.
"The lack of controlling methods could create collusion and
corruption," Ismunandar said, adding every fund-raising project
involving citizens' money should first be discussed with the City
Council.
In the event of somebody counterfeiting the stickers, the SEA
Games committee and the municipality would be to blame for the
inability to control the number of stickers issued.
Under a Ministry of Social Services decree, PT Angkasa
Ronagraha was appointed to raise Rp 35 billion (US$14.6 million)
to help finance the Rp 100 billion sport event through the sale
of stickers.
Donations are set at between Rp 1,000 and Rp 50,000 for each
sticker included in a receipt for various bills including water,
electricity, telephone bills, entry to entertainment centers,
grocery shoppers spending more than Rp 50,000 and applications
for land titles.
"One way to avoid possible piracy is for the committee to
print numbers on every sticker issued," Ismunandar said.
The Jakarta municipality gave the consortium, headed by
President Soeharto's son Bambang Trihatmodjo, until May 26 to
raise the funds.
"If the municipality finds that the control is poor or sticker
counterfeiting occurs, a new decree will be issued," Bambang
said. Illegal collection after the expiration date would also be
penalized, he said.
Ten percent of the funds collected will be handed over to the
committee, according to the decree. (10)