House not consulted over SEAG fund-raising drive

JAKARTA (JP): Several legislators were outraged yesterday at a government-sanctioned practice to force people to buy stickers to finance the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Jakarta in October.

The House of Representatives was never consulted by the government about the fund-raising activity as required by the 1945 Constitution for every official attempt to raise money from the public, they said.

The legislators, Zarkasih Nur of the United Development Party (PPP), Djathi Koesoemo of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and Popong Otje Djundjunan of the dominant Golkar faction, were interviewed separately on the controversy over the stickers.

The Minister of Social Services Inten Soeweno has given PT Tata Insani Mukti, the private consortium appointed by the government to organize the preparation and construction of infrastructure for the SEA Games, the go-ahead to raise Rp 40 billion ($16 million) in funds by selling stickers. The scheme has also been approved by Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja.

PT Angkasa Ronagraha, a member of the consortium, is conducting the fund-raising activity by selling some 18 million stickers with nominal values of between Rp 1,000 and Rp 50,000.

Although Inten's decree stipulates that it is a donation, people paying their utility bills have been forced to buy stickers. Many hotels and restaurants have also been asking patrons to buy the stickers, although management would say it is voluntary.

"This is a violation of the 1945 Constitution," Zarkasih Nur, from the House's Commission IX overseeing sports, said.

The only way to solve this is to abide by the constitution, and this means the government must discuss it first with the House, Zarkasih said.

Zarkasih said the government had already allocated funds for the SEA Games in the 1997/1998 budget and the Jakarta city administration had done the same. There was no cause for the government to burden people with such donations, he said.

Djathi Koesoemo, also from Commission IX, questioned the administration about the funds, recalling a controversy over the absence of any official account about the funds raised in a similar way last year to finance the National Games in Jakarta.

Djathi said people would not object so much to paying for the stickers if the money was managed properly and transparently.

Popong, from Commission VIII overseeing social services, said transparency in managing the public funds was a key to obtaining popular support.

Otherwise, she added, people would refuse to pay the donation.

Popong regretted the fund-raising activity was launched while the House was in recess. The government should have waited until next June when the House is back in session. "It should not have done this without our approval," she said. (11)