Sports council turns to lottery for funding
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.