Opera aimed at discouraging migration
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Concerned by the vast influx of migrants to the capital, the city administration has been financing the production of a soap opera that aims to discourage people nationwide from migrating to Jakarta.
"The soap opera titled Anak-Anak Teraniyaya (tortured children) attempts to persuade against moving from less-developed cities to Jakarta for a better living," City Population and Civil Registration Agency head Khamil Abdul Kadir said in a hearing with City Council Commission C for city revenue on Wednesday.
"Hopefully, we can start screening the soap opera in September," he added.
According to the agency, between 200,000 and 250,000 migrants from less-developed cities in the country take up residence here every year, causing the population density to soar to 16,000 residents per square kilometer in some areas of the capital.
This not only forces the city administration to provide more public facilities, but also increases the crime rate in the capital.
The soap opera, locally known as sinetron, will be aired by private TV station RCTI. Gito Rollies, a popular rock singer, who made his name after becoming an Islamic preacher, is among the stars of the soap opera.
Abdul said the soap opera, produced by a production house owned by film director Ali Shahab, would tell the story of unfortunate migrants whose dreams of a better life in the capital are dashed.
"The soap opera is part of our campaign to curb the massive influx of unskilled migrants to the city, which has led to population concerns here," he said.
According to Abdul, production of the sinetron was underway as early as 2003.
"But, as RCTI requires us to come up with at least 14 consecutive episodes -- and we had budgetary constraints that didn't allow us to make them all straightaway -- it became a three-year project," he said.
The production house, he explained, has completed 11 episodes, of which six were made in 2003 and five in 2004. The last three episodes should be made by 2005.
The agency said it had paid the production house around Rp 2 billion, or Rp 144 million for each episode.
The cost of producing the soap opera has outraged some councillors who claim to be familiar with the film industry.
"I think Rp 144 million an episode is far too high. According to my estimations an episode should not cost more than Rp 100 million -- and that's if popular actors and actresses are cast," said Mohamad Mansur Syaerozi of the Reform Awakening faction alliance.
Similarly, Igo Ilham, who once starred in a religious film on the city's history, Fatahillah, claimed each episode should cost more like Rp 80 million per 30-minute episode.
Meanwhile, commission chairman Daniel Abdullah Sani of the National Mandate Party faction questioned the lengthy production period.
"I am just wondering why the agency pressed ahead with the project, regardless of how long it would take," Daniel said.