Sutiyoso vies for badminton body chairmanship

Sutiyoso vies for badminton body chairmanship

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso currently chairs the Indonesian
Basketball Association (Perbasi). However, he seems to have been
tempted to manage another sports organization that he thinks
might give him more prestige.

After the failure of his bid for the soccer chairmanship in
2002, the 59-year-old retired Army general is now vying for a
shot at the crisis-ridden national badminton organization.

Sutiyoso says that in running for office at the Badminton
Association of Indonesia (PBSI) he has simply been driven by the
national interest, and signals he will try to become the savior.

"The job (as PBSI chairman) is a matter of national interest.
We failed to retain the Thomas Cup, (and to retrieve) the Uber
and Sudirman Cup this year," Sutiyoso said after a meeting with
his Perbasi aides on Friday.

The Indonesian men's badminton team was stopped by Denmark in
the semifinals in the Thomas Cup, which they had held five
consecutive times, here in May, while their female compatriots
exited in the quarterfinals of the Uber Cup, which they last won
in 1996.

The PBSI leadership will be up for grabs after incumbent
chairman Chairul Tanjung acceded to demands for his resignation,
having been deemed incompetent for the job.

The PBSI has been pushed by the majority of its 32 provincial
branches into arranging an extraordinary meeting, planned for
July 17 in Jakarta.

The meeting is expected to select a replacement.

Besides Sutiyoso, former vice president of the International
Badminton Federation (IBF) Justian Suhandinata and East Java
branch chairman Jacob Rusdiyanto are rumored to be running for
the post.

The head of the PBSI working group that has been assigned to
evaluate candidates, Koesdarto Pramono, said they would announce
the names of candidates in the next two or three days.

According to Jakarta branch chairman Icuk Sugiarto, several
branches have signaled they will give support to Sutiyoso, who on
Friday tried to position himself as the last choice.

"I have asked them (provincial branches) to nominate people
who have a better capability than I. I would step in only as the
last choice," he said.

Perbasi vice chairman Erick Tohir said that Perbasi could not
do anything to prevent its chairman from running for the PBSI.

"Of course we understand if Pak Sutiyoso wants to be PBSI
chairman.

"It's not that being PBSI chairman has more prestige than the
Perbasi chairman; it's a matter of wishing to restore national
pride in badminton, especially after we failed to retain the
Thomas Cup this year," Erick said.

He added that Sutiyoso would have to abandon his Perbasi post
if he were elected PBSI chairman.

After its dismal Thomas Cup performance, Indonesia is now
looking ahead to the Olympics, at which the badminton team will
have an opportunity to redeem itself.

Badminton is the only sport ever to earn Indonesia Olympic
gold medals. That is a far cry from Indonesian basketball, which
has been struggling, even at the Southeast Asian level.