TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan did not allocate the regional budget for the 2018 Asian Games event dissemination. All banners or flags installed in the city was funded by community organizations that was demanded to do so.

As a result, many banners spread was not attractive due to its small size and that spoiled the walls or fences. The flags of countries participating in the games, which were raised using bamboo, went viral and gained public critics.

“The attribute for socialization [of Asian Games] is funded by the community,” said Jakarta Youth and Sports Agency head Ratiyono as quoted from Tempo magazine, Monday, July 30.

He explained the city administration only prepared a budget for the t-shirts of children to welcome the Asian Games Torch Relay on August 16. The budget rose from its initial worth Rp3 billion to Rp12 billion in the mid-June.

Ratiyono said every regional office in the capital must have earmarked budgets for the banners as stipulated in Gubernatorial Decree No. 8/2018 on participation to succeed and enliven the 2018 Asian Games that was issued in early July.

Anies Baswedan called on all private building management, business groups, and regional government offices to decorate their building ahead of the games. The form and contents of the socialization could be accessed through jakarta.go.id or beritajakarta.id.

The regulation eventually triggered many criticisms since it failed to boost the euphoria towards the Asian-pan multi-sports event as expected. Anies further reminded the owners and management of those buildings on July 23, 2018.

Furthermore, Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) speaker Prasetyo Edi Marsudi expected the city administration would fully utilize this three weeks to massively socialize the international event. The festivity should be merrier than that back in 1962 when Jakarta became the host of the 4th Asian Games.

LINDA HAIRANI



