Drive on billboard language to continue

JAKARTA (JP): Around 2,000 billboards, signs and banners around the city still bear foreign names or wording despite a national campaign to use proper Indonesian.

Unless they are changed, they may be targeted in a Sept. 25 raid, the city administration's director of social and political affairs, Bagus Suharyono said yesterday.

The campaign launched last May by President Soeharto supported city policies prohibiting unnecessary foreign words on billboards, signs, commercials and banners.

The Language Development Center of Bahasa Indonesia has also published related guidelines and lists of Indonesian words for foreign terms.

The 1992 city rule says foreign names and words may be used on a limited basis for trademarks of goods whose production centers are overseas and local branches of foreign companies.

Since the campaign began, Bagus noted, there has been a positive response through many self-initiated changes in billboards and name signs.

However the operation is necessary as many parties still lack awareness of promoting their own language, he said.

Bagus was accompanied by executives of the Jakarta Chamber of Commerce and Industry. They announced a one-day information session on the legal aspects of changing names for the business sector on Sept. 19.

The event will be held at Hotel Wisata Internasional in Central Jakarta.

Oke F. Supit, the chamber's chairman, said many entrepreneurs have asked about problems raised in name changing as they are tied up by contracts with foreign partners.

The entrepreneurs have raised concerns about possible costs and time wasted if they change names, Oke said.

Oke said the session will include explanation that as long as the contracts are effective, names need not be changed.

However they should be ready with new names when contracts are renewed, he said.

"Manufacturers who are not license holders of foreign trademarks should also use Indonesian names for their products," Oke said, citing the trademark of the 'Goldstar' shoes.

"However many manufacturers say they need to use foreign names to be able to market their products both overseas and in the country," Oke said. Such manufacturers should be convinced that product quality, not brand name, is a stronger factor to secure markets, he added. (anr)