Hayono heads IABA

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Association of British Alumni (IABA) has elected State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman as chairman for a second consecutive three-year term.

The 2,000-strong association held a meeting to elect the chairman for the 1996/1999 period on Thursday evening. It also elected Syaiful Haq as secretary-general, according to a statement by the association.

IABA was founded in 1991 with the goal of strengthening communication among Indonesians who studied in Britain, and to lend assistance to those who intend to study there.

Hayono is the sole British alumnus among members of the present cabinet, which also boasts alumni from the United States, Germany, Japan and Australia.

IABA members are found in various professions and jobs both in the public and private sectors.

Juwono Sudarsono, a professor of politics at the University of Indonesia and vice governor of the National Resilience Institute, was its first chairman.

In presenting his report of accountability for his first term before the association on Thursday, Hayono underscored the need for British alumni to maintain contact.

He recognized that members' preoccupation with their daily work was a major obstacle in carrying out IABA's program, but he said IABA should do its best to bring its members together, and to provide useful services to the public. (emb)