High crime rate linked to TV violence: Singgih

JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Singgih has appealed to television stations to tone down the amount of violence in their programs because they could encourage criminal activities.

Singgih told a seminar of criminologists in Semarang on Thursday violence on television has some links with crime and violence in society, the Antara news agency reported.

"I'd like to remind commercial television stations to exercise wisdom in deciding to screen foreign films which portray violence, because they have a major impact on viewers," he said.

Indonesia's four commercial networks, in their drive to attract audiences and advertisers, have been accused of portraying too much violence. In particular critics target the action-filled American imports and kungfu films. However, the private networks have continued to air the programs in spite of the criticisms.

Falling short of any concrete evidence linking violence on TV with crime rates in society, Singgih in his presentation used the popular Latin American soap operas, or telenovelas, to illustrate his point of the power the television media has over the public.

These Latin imports have managed to "hypnotize" millions of television viewers in Indonesia to stop their daily chores and watch the films, he said.

Such is the power of the television media on viewers that any message relayed through the screen, including violence, would easily influence the viewers, he added.

The Attorney General said he fully agreed with the suggestion by LP2K, a Semarang-based consumer agency, that television networks should review their scheduling of telenovelas in view of the excesses they have on society.

"I've seen it with my own eyes the impact of these programs on children and women. Usually they become lazy in their work as soon as the programs begin," he said. (emb)