Friday, August 13, 2010

Loan or Money Down the Drain

Indonesia is hosting SEAGAMES next year in Palembang. However, they have a bit of budgeting problem up in Palembang, so the government is lending USD 67 million from the education budget to 'supplement' the over budget project. It is in fact a bigger share than the allocated budget. Really, they need to sack who ever did the budgeting.


Apparently hosting a ten days games is judged more important than tackling our educational problems by our government. There are thousands of ruin schools in Indonesia that need renovation, but no, we are going to renovate Palembang's sport complex for a ten days event. There are millions kids who cant afford to buy books or sport shoes or pay for extracurricular activity, but no, we are going to host this prestigious games. There are thousands of teachers who are paid very little (and sometimes the paid was late), but no, we are going to work on this 'national endeavor'. We dont have the money. If we want to redirect our budget, why dont we use military budget instead? We are not at war any way.

More often such endeavor wont even break-even, remember Greece? If it wont break even, how could they return the loan? I wish Indonesian government are more level headed like their Singaporean counterpart who pulled out last year citing they wont be ready to host.

What is it about Indonesian government and their showing off attitude?

2 comments:

colson said...

It's the usual pathological megalomania and lust for publicity. Often authorities tend to deliberately hugely overestimate the benefits and dramatically underestimate the costs. Most of the time with financial disastrous consequences.

You are right. It is education were the money is badly needed.

One more item to add to your list.

The other day I read about the "Top 25 Most Productive Universities in the Muslim World" - none of them from Indonesia. So here is another challenge.

triesti said...

probably we are too busy looking for loophole elsewhere.. sigh