New Games consortium continues sticker sales

JAKARTA (JP): The new Southeast Asian (SEA) Games consortium vowed yesterday to increase fund raising through sticker sales for the coming 19th SEA Games.

The consortium's spokesman, Enggartiasto Lukita, said "with the new decree issued by the Ministry of Social Services, Konsorsium Mitra Penyelenggara set a target to collect more than Rp 30 billion within three months".

The government appointed the consortium to raise Rp 50 billion to help pay for the Rp 105 billion SEA Games

The government extended the sticker selling program for four months, from July 1.

"The consortium was not allowed to hand over the rights to sell stickers to other parties except PLN, the state-owned electricity company, PT Telkom and other relevant state-owned companies," he said.

Enggartiasto said the consortium would stick to the rules by improving the fund raising mechanism and not selling stickers to other sectors.

"The consortium will continue collecting funds only from the telephone and electricity bills, airplane and executive class train tickets and car licenses," he said.

There would also be stricter controls over the sale and distribution of stickers to middle-income people, he said.

The government gave Konsorsium Mitra Penyelenggara the right to sell the stickers after the original consortium, PT Angkasa Rona Graha, raised only Rp 3.7 billion in the three months from March. Its target was Rp 40 billion.

But the Jakarta municipality has still not been officially notified that the sticker selling program has been extended.

A city social services official, Bambang Subekti, said the governor's authorization was needed to extend the sticker selling program.

The Indonesian Sport Council's (KONI) chairman, Wismoyo Arismunandar, lamented Wednesday that Indonesian businesses did not seem interested in sponsoring the Games.

Wismoyo said so far only foreign firms like Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank and Konica had donated funds for the SEA Games.

"KONI, for instance, at present needs Rp 100 million for the wrestlers' overseas trial matches but we have not received funds from our businessmen, " Wismoyo said.

Wismoyo said the success of the coming SEA Games depended on successful sticker sales and sponsorship from local and foreign firms. (03)