Rabu, 16 Januari 2013

Roy Suryo faces big challenges


Roy Suryo faces big challenges
Donny Syofyan ;  A Lecturer at the School of Cultural Sciences
at Andalas University, Padang
JAKARTA POST, 15 Januari 2013



President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono named Democratic Party lawmaker and telecommunications expert Roy Suryo the new youth and sports minister on Friday. 

Roy was appointed to the position amid strong public criticism over his capacity for the post. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Roy admitted that the position was outside his skill set, but said that he was ready to accept the challenge.

Roy is known as a “palace man” in the Democratic Party inner circle as he is very close to President Yudhoyono’s aides at the Presidential Palace. He was also an Andi Mallarangeng supporter at the party’s national congress in 2010. 

People should note that the new youth and sports minister will not be able to do much due to his short tenure. Most likely, he will just continue Andi’s programs. 

The most urgent tasks for the new minister include the elimination of corruption in the graft-tainted ministry, to unite the divided Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) and the Indonesian Soccer Rescue Committee (KPSI), to support Indonesian athletes in the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Myanmar and to unify the ministry on issues that have grabbed the public’s attention and are currently being investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), including the corruption cases revolving around the construction of the Hambalang Sports Center. 

Roy needs to eye the PSSI-KPSI conflict following FIFA’s extension so that hopefully, the two rival soccer associations can overcome their differences by March. If the two do not unite by the new deadline, a suspension would bar Indonesia from competing internationally and would stop FIFA financial assistance for the country. The new minister must ensure the unification as there could be detrimental affects to the country’s national soccer
program if nothing is done. 

He must commit to ending the political exploitation of the country’s soccer body. This aspect is supposed to be included in his initial speech after he is sworn in by the President. Internal conflict within the PSSI cannot be claimed as a political struggle since the squabbling parties are not even close to resolving their issues for the sake of the soccer body. 

The United States and Iran may have experienced tense relations over the years, yet the US vs. Iran match concluded in a sportsmanlike manner at the 1998 World Cup. Such was the case with Didier Drogba and his friends, who succeeded in uniting political factions in Ivory Coast thanks to soccer. In contrast, politics has brought down soccer in this country. Political conquests carried out by the soccer body’s executives have shown that gentlemanly and sportsmanlike ideals have been disregarded. 

In the upcoming SEA Games, Roy is expected to heed cohesiveness and spirit to build a winning team of Indonesian athletes. The poor performance of Indonesian athletes at the international level in recent years suggests that sports officials and government officers have failed to put their differences aside to achieve international prominence, which in turn puts national pride at stake.

Many athletes have been deterred by the organizational problems and as a result have been unable to deliver their best during competitions. Indonesian athletes need adequate preparation and they need to be better organized so that there are minimal disturbances for the players whom in turn will be able to stay focused on the SEA Games in Myanmar. Roy Suryo, therefore, must be able to lead the country’s sport organization executive and athletes for the sake of Merah Putih (red and white). 

We should look at how Japan and South Korea rallied their countries behind their soccer teams when they hosted the 2002 World Cup together. Both countries have gone on to produce world-class players who now play for top European clubs. It would be no exaggeration to say that sports could unite nations faster and more passionately.

Corruption, like it or not, has tainted the image of the youth and sports ministry and many of the country’s sport projects. 

The lack of government attention to issues shows that these sports projects are only being treated as a source of financial wealth and not as activities meant to promote best practices in this field. Laws and rules are easily manipulated to satisfy selfish interests.

The National Games (PON) in Riau should remind the new minister and his partners in the House of the bad precedents that were set in terms of sporting event management in this country. 

Ongoing construction delays, unfinished venues, bribe allegations, the collapse of the tennis stadium’s canopy and scheduling chaos dominated headlines prior to its official opening ceremony.

Roy could make a breakthrough by firing those allegedly involved in graft, as has been done by the Asian Football Confederation while it suspended its chief, Mohamed bin Hammam, for 30 days over corruption allegations.

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