Moslem women ask minister to ban exploitive films, ads
Moslem women ask minister to ban exploitive films, ads
JAKARTA (JP): A Moslem women's group suggested yesterday that
Minister of Information Harmoko clamp down on television
commercials that exploit women to promote products.
Leaders of Muslimat NU, which is affiliated with the 30-
million strong Nahdlatul Ulama, met with Harmoko at his office.
They told him they object to some of the ads appearing on
television because they are degrading to women.
The group did not specify which commercials they found
offensive.
Harmoko's ministry oversees television programing and
censorship of programs and advertisements.
The Muslimat NU executive board, led by chairwoman Aisyah
Hamid Baidlowi, yesterday also asked the minister to reduce the
number of foreign programs being broadcast by the country's
commercial television stations.
Aisyah said the airing of these foreign programs, some of them
filled with sex and violence, is a form of cultural intrusion
that could endanger the future of the nation.
"This programs bring more negative than positive impacts. They
have no educational value, " Aisyah said.
Aisyah said commercial television stations should be more
selective in choosing foreign programs and that the censorship
board should be stricter about which programs can be broadcast.
Aisyah, who also reported about her organization's recent
congress during the meeting, suggested to Harmoko that there
should be more women at the Film Censorship Institute, an agency
overseen by the minister.
Indonesia now has six television networks, the state owned
TVRI and the privately-run RCTI, SCTV, ANteve, TPI and Indosiar.
All five commercial television networks have been under
pressure to cut the amount of foreign programing in their
schedules. The government reminded them that they are required to
allocate 80 percent of air time for local programs, with the
remaining 20 percent for foreign programs.
Most commercial networks have been violating this regulation.
Budi Darmawan, SCTV's spokesman, told The Jakarta Post
yesterday that most Indonesian audiences favor foreign films
over locally produced programs. "That is why private TV stations
air more foreign programs than local," he said.
Budi said SCTV failed to get viewers when it aired locally
produced TV dramas at prime time -- from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. --
while the other TV stations were airing foreign films.
SCTV currently broadcasts 35 percent local and 65 percent
foreign programs imported from Asian, American and Latin American
countries, Budi said.
"Asian films, especially Indian and Taiwanese, are now favored
by viewers over western films," Budi said. (01)