Scholars want debate on broadcasting bill

Scholars want debate on broadcasting bill

SEMARANG (JP): Some of the country's leading literary and
cultural figures have called for more discussion of the
government's proposal to have all foreign television programs
dubbed into Indonesian.

Umar Kayam said here on Saturday that he does not like the
proposal. He argued that given the low level of dubbing and
translating skills in Indonesia such voice-overs would degrade
the quality of films.

"Interaction between cultures must be encouraged and pluralism
promoted," said Umar, regarded as a giant in Indonesian
literature.

"The question of dubbing needs to be discussed at a national
level. Don't make such a hasty decision," Umar said.

Separately, MT Arifin from Muhammadiyah University in
Surakarta also said dubbing would adversely affect most films.

"Dubbing should only be done to certain films, particularly
the ones that have children as a market segment, such as
cartoons," he said. "The ones for the adults should be left in
their original languages."

"Why the sudden fear of foreign films?" he asked.

Writer Darmanto Jatman also called for more discussion before
the proposal, which is incorporated in a broadcasting bill
currently before the House of Representatives, becomes law.

He described the trend to dub foreign films as a manifestation
of the Third World's xenophobia and inferiority complex.

"The verbal language can be translated but what about the non-
verbal ones?" remarked Darmanto who teaches at Diponegoro
University in Semarang.

Darmanto then remarked that in our country which is still
"feudal-bureaucratic" the government's call quickly becomes an
order.

"We should realize that cultural interactions are enjoyable
and necessary as long as they aren't just a matter of absorbing
everything in sight. We do have to be picky," he said. (har/mds)