SEA Games donations are not compulsory

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)