Sticker fuss

Sticker fuss

From Sinar Pagi

The appeal by the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) for community members to refuse to buy SEA Games stickers is difficult to implement because the sticker prices are usually already included in the balance of telephone and electricity bills and the like. It is indeed unethical if donation collection through the selling of SEA Games stickers is extended until Dec. 31, 1997, while the SEA Games themselves wound up on Oct. 19.

In fact, most people wholeheartedly agree with deputy chairman of YLKI Agus Pambagio, who said in Jakarta on Oct. 22 that the collection of funds through sticker sales must be terminated because continuing the collection was no longer ethical since the Games were over.

As a community member who has to donate money by paying for SEA Games stickers every month, I would like to ask Mr Pambagio how I, and of course other community members, can refuse to pay for these stickers. Imagine if we refuse to pay for the stickers thrust upon us when paying our electricity and telephone bills, or vehicle registration (STNK) or other such things. Perhaps settlement of these bills would be refused. Then our payments would be considered overdue and the services would be disconnected. Would this be fair? Of course not. However, being just laymen, what can we do? We can only complain and grumble, helplessly.

Therefore, Mr Pambagio, please let us know how we can avoid paying for the stickers. Simply refusing to pay for them is obviously impossible because our public utility and other bills might not be given to us. If we refuse, the employees of the concerned companies will tell us to direct our complaints to their superiors or government officials. They will say that they are only doing their job, which means that they must obey their superiors' instructions. In such a position, both consumers and cashiers must comply with what has been stipulated.

We therefore think that your advise that community members refuse to pay for the stickers is difficult to implement. It may be better if you strive for a review of the extension of the decree. Otherwise, your appeal, which may have been prompted only by the lack of transparency in the receipt and spending of the SEA Games funds, will be useless. To the community, me in particular, having to buy the stickers is quite burdensome. To be honest, we have donated in the absence of our sincerity or wholeheartedness. Thank your for the attention given to this.

IHDARYANTO

Jakarta