Soeharto agrees SEA Games funds from Brunei

Soeharto agrees SEA Games funds from Brunei

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto has agreed to ask for funds
for the 19th SEA Games to be held here next October from Brunei
Darussalam, the biennial Games' original host.

State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman told
House Commission IX for religion, education and sports yesterday
that the request for funds from Brunei for the Jakarta Games was
due to local difficulties in obtaining the required money.

"Since time is running short, Soeharto agreed to ask for help
from Brunei for funds for the Games," Hayono was quoted by Antara
as saying.

Hayono said he will hold talks with his counterpart in Brunei
regarding the money. "We shall leave the matter with Brunei as to
the amount of money they will provide. The most important thing
is that there should be solidarity among the ASEAN member
countries."

Hayono added that Soeharto has discussed the matter with his
daughter, Mrs. Siti Hardianti Rukmana, as she has close links
with the north Borneo kingdom.

According to Hayono, his ministry is waiting for a reply from
the government regarding his office's request for Rp 3.4 billion
(US$1.4 million) needed by KONI for the SEA Games.

"We are waiting for an answer from the National Development
Board to our proposal regarding the Rp 3.4 billion to be
distributed to the 34 sport organizers. Each organizer will
receive Rp 100 million," Hayono said.

During the hearing with Commission IX, Hayono was accompanied
by officials from KONI including Deputy Chairman Arie Sudewo and
Enggartiasto, a representative of the Games underwriting
consortium.

Hayono said the forthcoming SEA Games will become the gauge
for sports development in the country. "Indonesia's main task is
not only a successful SEA Games but also to defend its title as
the overall champion."

School holidays

He said to make the coming Jakarta Games a success, his
ministry has contacted the Ministry of Education and Culture to
organize a school holiday for the eight-day event from Oct. 11 to
Oct. 19. The education minister has agreed to the request, Hayono
said.

"We have even discussed with the consortium, at the latest of
March next year, that it should provide tourism and sports
packages for people in the regions to see the Games," Hayono
said.

But, Hayono said, the main obstacle still faced by the
ministry is finding the money to stage the Jakarta Games.

He received a report that only Rp 60 billion ($25 million) has
been collected from sponsors, both local and foreign while the
budget required is Rp 95 billion.

"To compensate for the shortfall, I have agreed that funds can
be obtained from the community through the sale of stickers. The
funds will also be realized through the sale of airline tickets
and through the payment of electricity and telephone bills. What
is important is the participation of the community," Hayono said.

Meanwhile, Arie told the legislatures there are 1,250 athletes
undergoing training, of which 790 will be selected.

Arie said of the 34 sports being prepared for the Jakarta
Games, 14 organizations have already started training while the
others will begin on Jan. 1. "For soccer, the athletes' training
will be held in July," he said.

As for the funds, Arie said there was no final decision yet as
to the exact budget. "The consortium has forwarded Rp 60 billion
for organizing the Games and Rp 35 billion for funding training
centers. We are still clarifying things as the budget could
fluctuate." (lnt)