Publishers dream of better book industry<\/p>\n
By Stevie Emilia<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Shopping malls are almost always packed with
\nshoppers checking out a staggering load of commodities. Wealthy
\npeople pack upscale restaurants eating to their heart's content.
\nApparently, the economic crisis is not \"crippling\" this section
\nof the society.<\/p>\n
But take some time and look at book stores. Do not be amazed
\nif you find few people in them. And if you go to the library, do
\nnot be dismayed if you find only a handful of readers.<\/p>\n
Jakarta's famous nine-story national library, the city's main
\nlibrary located in Jl. Salemba, Central Jakarta, is no exception
\nin terms of small attendance. There, the bulk of its over 1.2
\nmillion books and periodicals are left to gather dust, rarely
\ntouched.<\/p>\n
The library cannot do much to encourage people to come and
\nread.<\/p>\n
A library employee, who declined to give her name, said, \"Most
\nof our visitors are students looking for books for their school
\nassignments.\"<\/p>\n
The library serves about 500 people a day, of which 300 are
\nmembers.<\/p>\n
More people might prefer going to modern, air-conditioned book
\nstores like Gramedia in Mal Taman Anggrek shopping center, West
\nJakarta. But wait a minute. The people brushing shoulders are not
\nnecessarily buyers.<\/p>\n
Indra Mahendra told The Jakarta Post while flipping through
\nOtomotif weekly tabloid on Tuesday night, \"I'm waiting for my
\nwife shopping.\"<\/p>\n
He said he had no intention of buying anything at the
\nbookstore. \"I just want to kill time.\"<\/p>\n
Apart from the magazine and tabloid stand, the bookstore's
\nmost crowded section is the comic books' stand, where children
\nhave a dizzying array of choices with the translated versions of
\nforeign comics like Kungfu Boy or Disney's series Mickey Mouse.<\/p>\n
According to one of the bookstore's attendants, the trend is
\nnot new. \"After looking through latest edition of magazines or
\ntabloids, they usually leave without buying,\" she said.<\/p>\n
People's lack of interest in reading is attributed to a lack
\nof quality books and a lack of encouragement at school and at
\nhome.<\/p>\n
Children's book observer Murti Bunanta told the Post, \"I see
\nthat all time, most publishers prioritize commercial aspects
\nrather than quality in books. I have nothing against it, I know
\nthey have to survive. But we need quality books.\"<\/p>\n
Citing an example, she said many publishers preferred
\npublishing best-selling children books as series.<\/p>\n
\"This is a trick to make children want every single book of
\nthe series,\" said Murti, a member of the Society for Advancement
\nof Children in Literature.<\/p>\n
Good-quality children's books are those which not only have
\neducational value but also promote peace, humanity and
\nunderstanding of others.<\/p>\n
\"I cannot say our books are of good quality; they're not too
\nbad. Still, we want better books.\"<\/p>\n
Poor interest<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Book Publishers Association's chairman, Arselan
\nHarahap, said that everybody, including families, teachers, the
\ngovernment and non-governmental organizations, are responsible
\nfor improving the people's interest in reading.<\/p>\n
\"But I think the government has the biggest responsibility for
\nimproving people's interest in reading by, first of all,
\nimproving our education system,\" Arselan said, adding that the
\npresent system does not encourage students to read.<\/p>\n
However, he added, there were other factors responsible for
\npeople's low reading habits, such as the presence of various
\nelectronic media.<\/p>\n
\"People are reluctant to visit libraries. They would rather
\nstay at home watching television,\" Arselan said.<\/p>\n
Visiting libraries, he said, was of an even lesser priority.
\nQuoting cultural observer Ignas Kleden, he said that in Europe,
\ndevelopment of a city includes four important pillars: a city
\nhall, a market, a place of worship and a library.<\/p>\n
\"But here, investors are reluctant to invest their money in
\nbuilding good libraries,\" Arselan said. \"As we all see, luxurious
\nhousing complexes have shopping malls, but no libraries.\"<\/p>\n
No clear policy<\/p>\n
The government is yet to have a clear policy on the book
\nindustry, including policies on pricing and trade.<\/p>\n
Currently, the association's officials have to go to various
\ngovernment offices to get their demands heard, such as for
\nspecial transportation arrangements for books, tax exemption for
\nall books and special procurement of paper for books.<\/p>\n
So far, the government has tax exemptions for school books and
\nreligious books only. \"In my opinion, all books should be freed
\nfrom taxes,\" said Arselan, who is also a publishing director of
\nPT Pustaka LP3ES (Institute for Research, Education, Economic and
\nSocial Information) Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The absence of special transportation arrangements for books
\nmakes books in Jakarta, where major publishers are located,
\ncheaper than those in Aceh or Irian Jaya, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Many book policies should be redefined, and clear policies
\nwould cut all the bureaucratic procedures,\" Arselan said. \"All
\nthis time, we only hear political statements regarding the book
\nindustry.\"<\/p>\n
The association was set up on May 17, 1950, with only 13
\npublishers as initial members. It plans to celebrate its 50th
\nanniversary later this month by inviting President Abdurrahman
\nWahid to a gathering.<\/p>\n
Now the association, which is also a member of the
\nInternational Publishers Association and has helped set up the
\nAssociation of Southeast Asia Publishers, has 598 members.<\/p>\n
\"Before the crisis, we had 660 members,\" Arselan said, adding
\nthat most of the remaining publishers were now simply trying to
\nsell their unsold stocks of books, and only between 10 percent
\nand 15 percent manage to release new books.<\/p>\n
The crisis has also reduced the number of published books.<\/p>\n
Prior to the crisis, the association's members released 5,000
\nto 7,000 new titles each year. But now, there are only 1,500 to
\n2,000 published per year.<\/p>",
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