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)