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