Sports council turns to lottery for funding
Eva C. Komandjaja and Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After being humiliated by Indonesia's poor performance at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, the country's highest sports authority, the National Sports Council (KONI), is again seeking a quick way -- although it smacks of gambling -- to raise funds to finance an ambitious sports development program.
This time, the council has established a cooperation with a Malaysian publicly-listed gaming company, Magnum Corporation Berhard, to generate massive funds from the public through a kind of lucky draw, "The Sports and Social Welfare Fund Game".
However, as was the case with KONI's similar attempts to procure funds after the closure of the government-sponsored lottery in 1993, the latest plan has also given rise to strong opposition from Vice President Hamzah Haz and the Indonesian Consumer Foundation (YLKI).
From previous experiences, including the compulsory purchase of SEA Games stickers in 1997 -- which was hosted by Indonesia -- people are suspicious that the new project will only be of the same ilk.
"Basically, we reject anything that smells of gambling as a matter of principle," Hamzah said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Sudaryatmo of the YLKI also voiced his opposition: "Transparency has always been a problem every time there is an attempt to collect funds directly from the public," he told The Jakarta Post.
Hamzah reprimanded KONI -- which is chaired by Minister of Communications Lt. Gen. (ret) Agum Gumelar -- saying the basic problems with national sports was not just funding shortages, but also the athletes' abilities and nutritional issues.
"What is needed in national sports is vitamins. When our athletes exercise for only 20 minutes, they are already exhausted," he said.
Hamzah, who is also chairman of Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP), apparently did not know that it was fellow party member Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah who had issued a permit for the controversial fund-raiser.
Bachtiar stresses that the gaming fund-raiser has nothing to do with gambling.
"We should not call it a lottery, because the coupons are not for sale. When we buy a ticket to a sports match, the ticket also works as a lucky-draw ticket," he said.
The ministry will receive a 10 percent equivalent of the lucky draw prizes valued at Rp 104 billion (US$12 million), as is standard with any lucky draws held by Indonesian companies.
Bachtiar said the lucky draw prizes was not cash, but TV sets and other electronic appliances, such as DVD players, VCD players and refrigerators.
A draw will be made once a week, with the first 100 winners slated to receive a prize valued at Rp 7.5 million. The least- valued prize is Rp 200,000.
KONI secretary-general Djohar Arifin Husin said on Tuesday that the council had signed a memorandum of understanding in October with PT Metropolitan Magnum Indonesia (MMI), a subsidiary of Magnum Corporation Berhard, which will assist KONI in managing sport matches nationwide to draw greater crowds.
MMI is also cooperate with a local sports event organizer to arrange and operate the fund-raising program.