Terrence Voon, Jakarta – The digital countdown clock in Palembang, located on a busy roundabout leading to the famous Ampera Bridge, says it all.
With just two days to go before the cauldron is lit for the SEA Games, every minute will count as the organizers scramble to get venues and facilities ready for South-east Asia's biggest sports extravaganza. It is a race they are confident of winning, but the picture on the ground is worrying.
When The Straits Times visited the sprawling 300-hectare Jakabaring Sports City yesterday afternoon, dust swirled everywhere as thousands of workers dug drains, planted grass and installed the basic facilities needed for a major multi-sport event.
Pools of stagnant water and muddy embankments still line the roads leading to the main Sriwijaya stadium, where hundreds of student performers braved the mid-day heat to undergo rehearsals for the opening ceremony on Friday.
That is D-Day for the provincial capital of South Sumatra, which has struggled to pull the show together under the weight of government red tape, mismanagement and construction hiccups.
These include a well-publicized corruption scandal involving a former politician and a lengthy delay in government funding that forced the organizing committee to threaten to quit unless the money it needed was released.
For the 4,000 athletes from 11 nations who are due to arrive this week, their main concern is whether the competition venues are up to scratch.
The swimmers need not worry. The aquatics complex – which reeked of fresh paint and lacquer – was completed earlier this week. Though the water appeared slightly brackish, the host nation's synchronized swimmers were seen getting ready to dive in.
For those in track and field, the situation appears more dire. The athletics stadium, which will see action from Saturday, is still without three of its four floodlights. Equipment for the pole vault events were just being moved in, and there were no signs of the starting blocks and throwers' cages.
The air rifle and pistol range, which will be used this weekend, is also not quite ready yet. Electronic scoring equipment was still being tweaked at the 50m and 25m ranges, though the 10m range was already being used for target practice by the Indonesian shooters.
For the visiting media, the main press centre located in a bank building was devoid of furniture, cabling and computers. LCD television sets lay unpacked in the corridors, while reporters and photographers from various nations slumped in the lobby, unsure of what to do next.
The situation is just as grim in Jakarta, which will host 23 of the 44 sports. The press center there is still awaiting air-conditioning. "It's so hot inside," complained a volunteer. "They keep saying they'll bring in the air-con but nothing's been done so far."
Maryama, the secretary for the South Sumatra SEA Games organizing committee, gave an assurance last night that the preparations remain on track.
Some 5,000 workers and volunteers have put in double shifts over the last few weeks, she said, to ensure that South-east Asia's sporting showpiece will kick off as planned. And, with the SEA Games torch arriving in Palembang yesterday after a two-week relay across Indonesia, failure is no longer an option.
"The contractors assure us that everything will be fine,' she said. 'We were very worried in the beginning, but we know we will finish on time. We must."