A sorry business

A sorry business

From Jayakarta

The appeal of the Information and Education and Culture
ministers that by Aug. 17, 1996 all foreign films should be
dubbed into Indonesian has drawn various comments from film
producers, the House of Representatives and society at large.

But surprisingly enough film circles are still divided on this
matter, even though dubbing has been going on for years,
particularly with telenovelas from Latin America.

The reason given is that foreign cultures are not the same as
our culture. Well, dubbing keeps translators and dubbers in
gainful employ, while the film industry is on its knees. We know
by now that western culture is different from eastern culture.
But it is not logical to relate the dubbing issue to cultural
differences.

To give an example: Rapes are in our papers every day,
complete with laughably lenient sanctions. In the western world,
rapists may get death sentences. In Bambu Apus, South Jakarta, a
man slaughters the entire family of his neighbor, only because
the neighbor damaged his shrubbery. A man kills another in a
fight over only Rp.100. Whose culture is this please ? So why
should there be a fuss about dubbing ?

Maybe there is a hidden interest in the dubbing business.
Perhaps some want the dubbing business to be run by a special
body of bureaucrats who do nothing but take the money. While the
translators and the dubbers go about their work, red tape,
bribery, and corruption can run rampant, as it does in business
generally. An institution is established under the pretext that
it will regulate some sector. Then: monopolies, corruption,
manipulation, and speculation.

YONO

Jakarta