Basuki Considers Private Management for Graft-Ridden City Sports Center
Jakarta. Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama is mulling handing over the management of a sports center in East Jakarta to the private sector, following allegations of corruption by city officials running the facility.
The sports center, or GOR, in Ciracas subdistrict, has come under scrutiny recently, with the independent antigraft monitor Indonesia Corruption Watch alleging hefty markups by local officials on fees to use the public facility.
Basuki told reporters at City Hall on Wednesday that his office would question the officials in charge of the center, and possibly remove them by Friday.
“I was shocked. How could a single GOR need Rp 10 billion [$730,700] a year?” he said.
Among the allegations raised by ICW is that officials typically charge three times the listed price for members of the public to use the facilities at the sports center, including courts, equipment and space for concessions.
Basuki said he was considering handing over management of the center to the private sector, but did not identify any interested parties.
Representatives from the government-funded Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) have expressed interest in renovating and managing the Ciracas sports center, but have given few details.
The PBSI has been widely hailed for its success in attracting private sponsors to supplement its government funding, allowing it to invest in athlete development, training programs, facilities and promotional events, as well as to send shuttlers to more competitions abroad.
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