Commission X Of The House Of Representatives Encourages The Issuance Of Presidential Decree Or Presidential Decree For Certainty Of The 2024 PON Schedule

President Joko Widodo leads the meeting to discuss the preparations for the XXI PON in Aceh and North Sumatra (North Sumatra), next September 2024 (Photo: BPMI Setpres/Lukas)

JAKARTA - Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives encourages the government through the Ministry of Sports (Kemenpora) to prepare a solution for the 2024 National Sports Week (PON) in Aceh and North Sumatra, especially in terms of time and budget. This follows the implementation of the 2024 PON which is adjacent to the simultaneous regional head elections (Pilkada).

"The government needs to ensure that it issues a Presidential Decree or Presidential Decree that supports the implementation of the 2024 PON. Central and regional levels need to coordinate, especially in terms of providing budgets and schedule certainty," said Deputy Chairman of Commission X DPR RI, Deputy Chairman of Commission X DPR RI Dede Yusuf Macan Effendi, Monday 11 December.

PON XXI or PON Aceh-Sumut 2024 is scheduled to take place from September 8 to 20, 2024. Meanwhile, the 2024 simultaneous regional elections will be held on November 27, 2024, which means only one month later from the 21st PON.

Dede assessed that certainty of regulations that support the 2024 PON budget is needed because it involves preparation and technical implementation. Such as the construction of a venue for 26 sports in the sports center area, especially for the construction of the main stadium.

"Previously we received a visit from the Aceh DPRD and provided notes, including the lack of budget certainty and readiness for the 2024 PON venue in Aceh," said Dede.

"Then it also needs to re-evaluate the implementation of the PON considering that 2024 will enter the transition of national and regional leadership because there are plans to move forward the direct regional elections which were previously in October to September," he continued.

Dede said Commission X of the DPR asked for clarity from the Central Government regarding the implementation of the 2024 PON. According to him, the allocation of regional budgets will be difficult to maximize if the PON and Pilkada times are held simultaneously in the near future considering that almost all regional heads are currently filled by temporary officials.

Dede said regional heads did not have the authority to be as strong as governors and regents/mayors as the election results. Dede also assessed that the budget allocation would also be sucked in a lot for the simultaneous Pilkada.

"The budget for the Aceh government and the North Sumatra Regional Government is certainly very difficult if they are required to build PON infrastructure," he explained.

Even though the host requires a budget in the range of Ro 2-3 trillion for the provision of facilities and infrastructure for PON 2024. The budget burden is very large.

"Provinces that will send contingents at PON must also be burdened because grants to regional KONI must be much reduced," he said.

To avoid the lack of preparation for the 2024 PON, Commission X of the DPR, which is one of its work in sports, proposes that the PON be postponed after the simultaneous regional elections. That way, said Dede, preparations will be maximized.

One of the options, from a number of inputs, there is a proposal for PON to be carried out in early 2025. But the name is still PON Aceh-North Sumatra 2024. That is input," he said.

This happened during the 2020 PON in Papua where initially PON was planned to be held in October 2020. But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the four-yearly national sports event was held in October 2021. However, the name is still PON 2020 Papua.

Dede asked the Government to act immediately and take regulations, especially in terms of the timing of the implementation of the 202 PON. That way the clarity of the 2024 PON will be maximized.

"This decision is very urgent because it is highly anticipated, especially by the host," said Dede.