Put sports on the MPR agenda: Siregar

JAKARTA (JP): Sports observer Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar expressed his hope the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) would issue a statement during its General Session expressing its commitment to developing sports in the country.

"It's important that the MPR declares that sports is important and has a major role in developing the people of Indonesia. Unfortunately, the athletics community does not have a representative in the MPR, but it doesn't really matter. It's more important that MPR members include sports in the State Policy Guidelines," Siregar said at the Indonesian Badminton Center in Cipayung, East Jakarta.

Siregar said the MPR, which opened its General Session on Friday, had yet to discuss the issue of sports in the country.

"Guidelines may be adopted but the application is questionable," he said, adding that it would be better if the State Policy Guidelines were discussed before the session began.

Citing an example of the often inconsistent application of agreed upon policies, Siregar said cash bonuses to athletes were supposed to differ depending on whether athletes won their medals in national, Southeast Asian, Asian or international events.

"We have guidelines on the bonuses but the application is sometimes quite different. Who knows, someday cash bonuses for National Games medalists may be higher than for Olympics medalists," he said.

Siregar also said the government should increase the salaries and benefits of coaches.

"How can they take on greater responsibilities without their welfare being guaranteed. We must appreciate their work," he said.

He also urged officials from the Ministry of Education and Culture, the office of the state minister of youth affairs and sports and the National Sports Council (KONI) to work together to find ways to improve the development of sports throughout the country.

Separately, the KONI official in charge of athlete development, Muhammad Hindarto, said the Rp 24 billion (US$2.9 million) Golden Garuda project, which was set up by the government three years ago, had so far failed to produce the desired results.

"The poor results of the project are mainly due to the fact that there is no one in charge of the project nationally. Each provincial administration receives funds, but they don't know how to spend them, so they use them for activities other than sports development," he said.

Hindarto said one province used the money to stage a sports and arts week for the association of civil servants wives.

Provinces are authorized to use the funds from the project as they see fit because the money is distributed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. In the first year of the project, the ministry disbursed Rp 15 billion, while in the second year it distributed Rp 9 billion and Rp 3 billion for the 1998 Asian Games.

Hindarto said KONI had not yet received any information on the amount of the project's budget for 1999.

He also said KONI must set up the Golden Garuda Control Board to observe and evaluate the implementation of the project.

The ambitious project was established with the ultimate goal of seeing Indonesia finish sixth in the 2006 Asian Games. In last year's Games, the country won six gold medals to finish in 11th position. (yan)