Roy calls for artists to unite

Roy calls for artists to unite

JAKARTA: Roy Marten, veteran actor who emerged to popularity
after playing in 1970s movies Cintaku di Kampus Biru and Badai
Pasti Berlalu, called for Indonesian actors to unite to defend
their rights.

Interviewed after a 2005 Panasonic Award press conference on
Thursday, Roy, 53, who was among the nominees in the best TV
actor category, said that contracts between artists and producers
always disadvantaged the artists.

"We're not blue-collar workers, who can fight for their rights
by striking. I want to set up a legal aid institution for artists
so that, together, we can stand up for our rights," the actor
said.

Unlike other players from his generation such as Yessy Gusman
and Robby Sugara, Roy, who was a young people's idol in 1970s,
can still be seen in several TV dramas. He was even nominated for
a Panasonic Award along with young actors like Tora Sudiro and
Ari Wibowo.

Commenting that he did not expect to get the award, he said he
wanted to play in movies, but so far had not yet received any
offers.

He said that TV dramas offered poor-quality stories.

"We don't have quality scriptwriters. Moreover, once a
producer asked a scriptwriter to lower the quality of a story,"
he said.

"On TV, the ratings are like God," he added. --JP