Revision of sports bill sought
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The sports bill, which is eagerly awaited, to improve Indonesia's sports development, will need another revision in the wake of the recent leadership changes in the country, according to a member of the House of Representatives.
The bill was been submitted to the government during Megawati Sukarnoputri's term but it was not finalized, which brought about uncertainty in its progress.
Head of Commission X in the House Heri Ahmadi said that now the membership of the commission had changed, a revision would be called again before being submitted back to the new government.
"The bill has to be discussed again since it was initially drafted by previous members of the House," Heri told The Jakarta Post after a hearing with officials of the National Sports Council (KONI) here on Wednesday.
However, Heri was confident that the revision process would not consume much time since the bill was already prepared and drafted.
"We only need to wait for the presidential instruction. As soon as we receive it, it will probably take a month to pass the bill into law," he said.
He added that his fellow House members at Commission X all realized how important this bill was for the sports community in Indonesia.
"Therefore, we promise to do our best to pass the bill into law," he said.
Indonesia's sports community has been looking for the enactment of the sports law with the hopes that Indonesia can enhance its competitiveness in international sports as well as ensure athletes' welfare.
The bill was first conceived in the early 1980s and had not been drafted until 20 years later. However, once it was drafted in 2002, it stagnated, due to Megawati's lukewarm response to the bill.
Meanwhile, KONI's secretary-general Djohar Arifin said that he was satisfied with the result of the hearing session at the House and he said he felt optimistic with the prospects of the sports bill deliberation.
"After a long period, we hope this time, the sports bill can be passed into law for real, especially with the help of our new sports minister," Djohar said.
The newly appointed State Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Adhyaksa Dault earlier said that he planned to propose the bill for deliberation within the first 100 days of President Susilo Bambang Yudoyono's Cabinet.
Apart from deliberations on the sports bill, the hearing with the House members also shed light on the issue of funding for Indonesia's involvement in international events during 2005.
There are four big international events that Indonesian athletes must participate next year -- the South East Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines, Asian Indoor Games in Bangkok, Islamic Solidarity event in Saudi Arabia and Muslim Women Sports in Iran.
To accommodate all four events, KONI, according to Djohar, will need at least Rp 200 billion (US$22 million). Half of the amount will be allocated to daily operational costs while the other half will cover the expense of athletes' participation in the events.
The SEA Games commitment is expected to absorb three-fourths of the amount, which means a rise from last year's SEA Games where KONI spent Rp 80 billion.
"We need to submit a budget proposal immediately to Commission X and they have promised to help us in solving the funding programs that have been a constant problem for KONI," Djohar said.