Irex arouses DPR's interest

Irex arouses DPR's interest

JAKARTA (JP): Legislators took a break from their customary
debates on national politics and finance, and turned their
attention to the male performance-enhancing tonic Irex on
Thursday, saying that its television advertisements were
demeaning to women and should be pulled.

House of Representatives' Commission I during a hearing with
the representatives of six private television stations said the
advertisement, which depicted a man ever ready to "perform" as a
line of women entered his private chamber one by one supposedly
for an interview, was loaded with sexual innuendo.

"We've received many letters complaining about it," Commission
member Aisyah Amini said.

Antara reported that during the hearing legislators also
turned their attention to Latin American soap operas, commonly
referred to as telenovelas, which even in their own countries
were considered "garbage."

Legislators lamented the fact that these programs only
glorified wealth and decadent behavior and could have a negative
impact on Indonesians, particularly since their largest audience
was made up of housewives and children.

The legislators also questioned the increasing number of
imported children's programs which projected few aspects of local
culture.

They called on private television stations to thoroughly
screen programs, selecting only those with a high level of
educational content while at the same time striving to increase
local production.(mds)