Indonesia Badminton

PBSI theoretically can be run by any Indonesian citizen… not necessarily by the government. The PBSI head is elected by the thirty-something Ketua Pengda PBSI [Regional PBSI]… Theoretically, PBSI head is not selected by the government.

Yes, of course, in the past, when President Soeharto ‘suggested’ that Vice President Tri Sutrisno become PBSI head, that’s a ‘suggestion’ that was hard to ignore… But the compensation of this ‘Presidential suggestion’ was: government funding for badminton development… even the usage of army cargo planes to take our players to regional tournaments [rather than pay expensive plane tickets]

Nowadays, there are no more direct government funding to PBSI. ZERO FUNDING from the government, ladies and gentlemen… Fairly enough, the central government don’t meddle at all in the PBSI elections nowadays.

Then, why is the PBSI head the governor of Jakarta and a former general?
Answer: for funding!

Without government support, PBSI is cash strapped. Without 3rd party funding, the main cash coming in is only from the interest of ‘dana abadi’ [lifetime fund], and cutting a bigger slice of the players’ equipment contract. This barely covers 20% of PBSI’s operational needs.

The governor of Jakarta can bring in enough 3rd party funds into PBSI… by arranging one or two ‘fund raising’ nights attended by Jakarta businessmen. Most notably the real estate developers who need lots of permits from the governor of Jakarta.

The main contribution of PBSI head to Indonesian badminton is to bring in the cash for Pelatnas operations [travelling funds, training, food, etc.]. 80% of all PBSI expense is covered by this.