KONI designs another fund-raising program
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)