'RCTI' to hold Miss Indonesia contest
'RCTI' to hold Miss Indonesia contest
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
TV station RCTI will, for the first time, hold a beauty pageant contest, titled Miss Indonesia. This contest is different from others held previously in Indonesia, RCTI sales and marketing director Daniel Hartono said at Boutique Cafe, Plaza Senayan, South Jakarta, on Jan. 27.
This event will be better than other pageant contests because it will offer Eastern values, a distinct and realistic career path for successful entrants, and will be more than just a beauty show.
Registration has been open since the beginning of January and will close on Feb. 1. The grand final will take place in Jakarta on Feb. 19.
Any woman aged from 20 to 25, who speaks English fluently and has a minimum height of 1.65 meters is welcome to enter this competition. Miss Indonesia is summed up by the slogan "Brains, Beauty and Behavior".
Thirty-four contestants will be chosen, representing each province in Indonesia. So far, only eight or nine provinces from eastern Indonesia do not yet have a representative.
They will be quarantined in Jakarta for nine days, starting from Feb. 12 to Feb. 18. They will be taught and trained in public speaking, body language, etc., by experienced instructors including Tantowi Yahya, Meutia Hatta and former tourism minister I Gede Ardhika.
Although there are other, similar contests, Miss Indonesia will be different, as contestants' vital statistics will not be featured and there will not be a swimsuit show.
This emanates from a recent agreement to hold a Miss ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Pageant 2005 in Jakarta. Daniel Hartono said there would be no swimsuit show because it was not Asian culture to display scantily clad bodies.
"Just to remind you; the swimsuit event has always been a problem for Indonesians thinking of competing in Miss Universe," said Daniel.
The winner of Miss Indonesia will compete in the Miss ASEAN Pageant 2005. Nine other countries in Southeast Asia will send representatives.
The lucky winner of the Miss ASEAN Pageant will become a Goodwill Ambassador to promote tourism and trading in all ASEAN countries. She will also work together with UNICEF to promote education for mothers and children.