SEA Games donations are not compulsory
JAKARTA (JP): A city councilor has advised the public that it is acceptable to refuse to pay any additional fees on their utility bills.
Utility companies have been charging their customers extra to help finance the upcoming 19th SEA Games in Jakarta.
Under a Ministry of Social Services decree, the Jakarta municipality recently appointed a consortium, PT Angkasa Ronagraha, to raise Rp 35 billion (US$14.6 million) to help finance the Rp 100 billion sports event by collecting donations from people settling their electricity, water and other utility bills.
Donations are set at between Rp 1,000 and Rp 50,000 each, for which a sticker is given as a receipt.
Lukman Mokoginta, who represents the Indonesian Democratic Party, however, said yesterday that people with a low income should have the courage to refuse to contribute to funding the Southeast Asian Games.
The Games are scheduled to begin here in October.
Lukman said the municipality needed to specify further its means of raising funds because society had contributed to many fund-raising drives held in cooperation with the electricity, water and telephone companies.
"Low-income families should be exempted from paying the multiple accounts of fees," Lukman said, adding that the government should instead encourage more donations from the upper class.
State-owned electricity company PLN exempts households which have an electricity capacity of below 900 watts. But state-owned water company PT PAM Jaya is charging all of its customers Rp 1,000 in donations per month.
The fund-raising started in February in accordance with a municipality decree. The fund-raising could continue until the target is reached.
The municipality decree also states that the city's revenue office is to collect fees from visitors to entertainment centers, motels, clinics, restaurants and automobile license bureaus, and advertisers.
For every cinema ticket costing more than Rp 10,000, moviegoers should pay Rp 1,000. "Moviegoers need to show their sticker-receipt before they pay so the cashier does not charge them again," Lukman said.
"People could refuse to pay additional fees if their tickets do not have SEA Games stickers," Lukman said.
The donations are also compulsory for grocery shoppers who spend Rp 50,000 or more, as the municipality told the Association of Indonesian Retailers (Aprindo) to start SEA Games fund-raising in supermarkets and department stores.
Airplane passengers must also pay donations, set at Rp 1,000 per ticket.
The National Land Agency is also charging people between Rp 25,000 and Rp 50,000 for every land title request.
The decree also states that PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol is allowed to charge every four-wheel vehicle entering Ancol Recreation Park Rp 1,000.
Advertisers renting billboards are also charged a contribution of between Rp 5,000 and Rp 350,000, depending on the size and location. (10)