McDonald's yet to decide on aid for SEAG contingent

JAKARTA (JP): Fast food firm McDonald's Indonesia aims to help the Indonesian contingent in the 2001 Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian (SEA) Games but the company is still considering the mechanism to be employed.

"We intend to help the Indonesian contingent in the SEA Games, following our success in financially supporting the Indonesian contingent to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games," director of marketing and communications Bambang S. Dharma told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

"However, we are still discussing the form of the financial support to the Games contingent. We could employ exactly the same mechanism as we used to help the Olympic contingent or we could employ a different mechanism."

Dharma was speaking on the sidelines of a breaking of the fast gathering with some 6,000 orphans from the Greater Jakarta area in the Senayan Indoor Tennis Stadium.

McDonald's Indonesia made a commitment to the National Sports Council (KONI) last February to financially support the country's Olympic contingent by providing assistance amounting to Rp 1 billion, or the equivalent of US$137,000.

McDonald's donated Rp 100 from each transaction in its 71 outlets nationwide during the six-month campaign with a final sum of over Rp 1.6 billion being handed over to KONI.

"We considered the program to be very successful given our intention of supporting the contingent," Dharma said.

"However, we could directly involve our loyal customers in fund-raising in a more beneficial way. Customers could directly donate their small change in boxes in our outlets or through our special bank account," he said, adding that a total of 7.5 million customers visit the 71 outlets each month.

Dharma also admitted that KONI officials had approached the company for financial assistance.

KONI had earlier announced that it needed more than Rp 77.4 billion for the 909-strong contingent to the biennial event.

"But we have yet to give our response. It's our intention to help but it will depend on so many things, including protection and the rewards we get from our support for the contingent," said Dharma.

KONI head of sports business and industry, Fritz E. Simandjuntak, had complained earlier about ambush marketing conducted by several national companies -- outside the official sponsors of McDonald's Indonesia, PT Samsung Electronics Indonesia and Extra Joss -- after Indonesia's success in bringing home an Olympics gold.

Should McDonald's Indonesia financially support the SEA Games contingent, it will follow in the footsteps of Samsung, a South Korean electronics giant.

Samsung had also participated in financing Indonesia's contingent in the Olympics by handing over Rp 520 million in cash and Rp 250 million in electronic goods. (nvn)