Extravagant excess

Extravagant excess

From Kompas

The live broadcast of artist Roger Danuarta's birthday celebration on TV7 (May 19), reportedly costing around Rp 700 million, should arouse public concern. One can imagine what that money could have meant for the thousands of Aceh war refugees and thousands of street children still in desperate need of shelter and education.

The super-luxury program of wealthy TV star Roger Danuarta consumed such a large amount of air time in one night (perhaps even one hour). It is of course Roger's right to give as big a party as he can afford and also the right of TV7 to broadcast it live. But amid the nation's economic trouble it is a saddening experience to watch the show, while regional proposals for community advancement still have to be postponed for the lack of funds.

The media should thus be wiser in reporting entertainment programs, and artists or whatever circles with excess funds at their disposal can spend them through various institutions and concerned individuals on humanitarian aid.

MUNA YASTUTI MADRAH, Jakarta