KONI designs another fund-raising program

JAKARTA (JP): The National Sports Council (KONI) is designing a new fund raising program to replace Tapornas, the controversial bank savings account scheme, in order to come up with the huge budget set for national sports development.

KONI spokesman Ishadi SK told journalists after a meeting between chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar and Vice President Try Sutrisno here yesterday that a team of KONI's 11 experts are lining up the country's renowned managers and are working on a draft for a nine-year fund raising program which will be conducted by KONI itself.

"We eventually want to become a financially self-reliant organization," Ishadi said. He made it clear that Try and Wismoyo refrained from discussing the controversial bank savings scheme, Tapornas.

"Hopefully, the team will submit its report to the chairman in two week's time," Ishadi said, adding that Tanri Abeng, dubbed the manager with the highest earnings, masterminded the proposal.

Under its new chairman Wismoyo, KONI has set a primary goal of collecting more than Rp 300 billion (US$136.4 million). KONI has been scrambling to find new financial sources since the stoppage of the national lottery, SDSB.

President Soeharto has given a green light to a proposal designed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to mobilize public funds through the bank savings scheme. The plan, however, never materialized due to nation-wide opposition, which fears that the new fund raising scheme resembles to the old one, SDSB.

KONI has always asked business tycoons to help finance national sports activities. Wismoyo was given a financial aid commitment from 50 tycoons in March, but the businessmen said they would prefer providing funds in the form of sponsorships.

Ishadi said that the tycoons had already fulfilled their first duty by collecting Rp 18 billion ($8.18 million) for the national team's preparations for the 18th Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai, Bangkok, this December. (amd)