PON: The achievement of Palembang

PON: The achievement of Palembang

The National Games (PON), opened by President Megawati Soekarnoputri in South Sumatra's provincial capital of Palembang on Thursday night, is the 16th of its kind.

The two-week event, held every four years, however is far from the spectacular Olympic Games, held recently in Athens, as these Games rarely have produced astonishing achievements from Indonesian athletes.

After its success in making preparations for the Games, Palembang hopes to one day host the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Because of PON, relatively quiet Palembang has turned into a glowing city. Palembang has been reborn, thanks to the national sporting event.

A sporting event, international or national, often turns into a political and commercial competition because through sports, a country or a province can revive its national or provincial spirit. Hosting sporting events not only costs a lot of money, but can also be a big money earner.

The ongoing National Games in Palembang shows South Sumatra's success in promoting togetherness.

With limited funds, PON has turned Palembang into a wonderful city. This is in contrast to the presidential campaigning prior to the presidential run-off on Sept. 20, in which a huge amount of money has been/will be spent, but there will not be any significant or positive change for the people. -- Media Indonesia, Jakarta