Composers, artists get reminder of past sycophancy

Composers, artists get reminder of past sycophancy

JAKARTA (JP): People now dare to face head-on the fact that
former president Soeharto's grasp reached well beyond politics
and business, even meddling in the arts. Some playwrights have
complained about the oppression of fear of censure that hampered
their development during his 32 years in power.

It is known that Soeharto made use of dalang (puppet masters)
to spread his political message through shadow plays. During
Soeharto's regime, some songwriters, too, were political tools.
They composed fawning songs glorifying the New Order and even
creating a cult around the leader.

"This was a mistake done by veteran singers," Franky Sahilatua
of the Foundation for Indonesian Songwriters and Recording Music
Arrangers (Pappri) told The Jakarta Post last Saturday.

"An example? Well, everybody knows which song I am referring
to."

The song at fault is Soeharto Bapak Pembangunan (Soeharto, The
Father of Development), a saccharine homage extolling the
leader's virtues. Its composer Titiek Puspa -- considered the
godmother of Indonesian music -- sang it in teary-eyed renditions
on TV shows and station breaks.

Franky, a member of the foundation's treasury, spoke to the
Post Saturday after the media conference held by Pappri on their
planned congress this weekend.

A composer, singer and musician himself, Franky said he would
propose to the congress to stress that songwriters should not be
allowed to make songs that would create cults around presidents.

"Pak Habibie is a funny man in every aspect. This does not
mean that I or any other songwriter should make a song about him.
And much less a song that would make him seem greater than God."

He added that a fine line should be defined by the congress to
prevent such mistakes from being repeated.

Pappri's third national congress will be officially opened
Friday by President Habibie at the presidential palace, before
continuing at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

Copyright violations, including the rampant piracy of
cassettes, VCDs and LDs, and tax fraud are among the seven
primary issues on the agenda.

About 500 of the 1000 members nationwide will discuss issues
on the founding of a more effective "control system board" to
make the earliest detections of piracy, tax fraud and copyright
violations, said Husain Audah, head of the congress's steering
committee.

"Where does the 10 percent tax on copyright (of Indonesian
songs) go to? We know we (composers, songwriters and arrangers)
don't receive it. This has to be clarified," he said.

According to Djadjat Sudradjat, head of the copyright
violations department at the Association of Indonesian Recording
Companies (ASIRI), there are at least two pirated copies to each
original album. However, with cassette pirates normally taking
hits from individual albums, compiling them and having them sold
with or without labels, pirated cassettes likely amount to much
more than 10 million copies a month, he said.

Production of national music cassettes is a million a month on
average, a drop from last year's average of five million a month,
due to the crisis.

He said a pirated compilation of national hit songs sold from
Rp 12,500 to Rp 15,000, the same price of an original album.

"It goes much lower than 12,500 when there is no cover,"
Djajat said.

Husain Audah said other topics of discussion would include the
clarifying of Pappri's role as a censor for Indonesian songs, the
eradication of tax on cassette recordings and CD-recordings and
the role of music in radio, film and television.

"The latter will be clarified and explained by Pak Ishadi
(director general of radio, film and television of the ministry
of information) who has been invited to give a lecture on the
matter," Husain said.

The congress' second day, Husain said, included the selection
of the 70-member Pappri council.

Former minister/state secretary Moerdiono and former
coordinating minister for people's welfare Azwar Anas are the
foundation's current patrons. Ishadi, Director General of Culture
of the Ministry of Education and Culture Edi Sedyawati and
Director General of Copyright, Patents and Trademarks of the
Ministry of Justice Soemarjoto Kajatmo are the development board
members.

The council is currently chaired by Sadikin Zuchra, with
Dharma Oratmangun as its secretary-general. Husain said that
normally 20 percent to 25 percent of the council's board members
would be retained for another term.

"A possible change of the council's structural format will
also be discussed, since this is the age of reform," Husain said.
(ylt)