"Even without the relocation, we would have suffered losses and will have further losses if all the activities are moved to Bali. Preparations that take three years have to be redone in three to four days," Chief Executive Officer of MNC Group, the sponsor of the event, Hary Tanoesoedibjo said here on Monday.
However, he noted that the loss of materials was not the main problem in relocating the beauty contest to Bali.
He pointed out that the relocation would affect not only the activities but also the accommodation facilities for all the contestants and their supporters, including officers and state representatives.
Hary was unprepared for the total value of the losses he would incur as a result of the change in venue for the Miss World contest.
He said he would discuss the matter with all parties involved in the event. "The main focus now should be to secure the event so that Indonesia`s image is not tarnished. Problems can occur at home, but the nation`s image abroad should be properly maintained," he stated.
The Miss World beauty contest was previously scheduled to be held in Sentul, Bogor, West Java. However, since the proposal had sparked indignation and pressure from various corners, the decision was made to move all the Miss World activities to Bali.
The Miss World pageant will witness participation from 129 contestants, and the event will be broadcast to 186 countries.
Hary claimed the Miss World pageant is the world`s largest, most popular event, and it is expected to boost Indonesia`s image and promote tourism to the country.
For their part, Hardline Islamic Defenders Front, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, and the Indonesian Ulemas Council have raised protests over the pageant.
A group of 11 Islamic social organizations has also rejected the plan to host the Miss World contest in Indonesia, saying the pageant runs counter to the nation`s moral outlook and culture.
The organizations grouped under the umbrella of the Friendship Institution of Islamic Mass Organizations have also released a statement to reject the hosting of the event in Indonesia following a meeting of their leaders at the Nahdatul Ulama (NU) office on Wednesday.
NU is the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia, with over 30 million members.
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
