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Using sports as political vehicle must end in Indonesia, experts say
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The intersection of sports and politics can be seen in National Intelligence Agency chief Budi Gunawan (pictured), who also serves as the head of the Indonesia Esports Association. (Antara/Shofi Ayudiana)
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ports experts have spoken out against allowing high-ranking public officials or those with strong political backgrounds to lead a sports association, arguing it could end up being counterproductive to the development of sports if the officials lack the proven track record and skill set to run any such association.
Though there are no regulations that prohibit political figures from running sports associations, experts in the field say that these kinds of people are prone to “hijacking” their respective associations for the purpose of improving their public image, all the while contributing little toward making substantive improvements to the industry.
Chief of the Indonesian Sports Scientist Association Joko Pekik Irianto said it was harmful for those in power to use a sports association as a political instrument to gain popularity as it often resulted in putting sporting achievements on the backburner.
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“The government is holding the key in this area. It can minimize this practice by providing regulations that allow a sport association to gain financial access from third parties to develop itself. The government could then play its supervising role,” he told The Jakarta Post on Monday
He acknowledged that bringing in high-ranking officials was a strategy that had been used since the New Order regime to develop the industry but, today, officials had deviated off course.
Sports expert Tandiyo Rahayu of Semarang State University expressed disapproval over those who used sports solely as a political vehicle.
