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)