'Si Unyil' to make television comeback

JAKARTA (JP): Si Unyil, the popular children's program taken off the air in 1991, plans to make a comeback in the near future.

"I don't know exactly what the program will be called, maybe Si Unyil with a new style and an added flair," Minister of Information Harmoko disclosed on Wednesday during a hearing with the House of Representatives's Commission I which deals with national security issues.

Harmoko did not reveal when the new Unyil would return but said it "would be in the not too distant future."

Si Unyil was taken off the air in 1991 after a successful 10- year run on TVRI, the state-owned television station. The producers canceled the show because they felt that a new version was needed to accommodate the expanding horizons of younger children in this information age.

The puppet program depicts the daily life in an Indonesian village and spawned such adored characters as Pak Raden and Pak Ogah.

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has praised Si Unyil as a model for an inexpensive but appropriate children's television program for developing countries.

The new Si Unyil, however, may find the going rough.

The program enjoyed a huge following when TVRI was the only television station around. Now there are five commercial networks competing for viewers, putting out equally popular imported children programs such as Dora Emon and Asterix on Sunday morning, the traditional slot for Si Unyil.

The popularity of Si Unyil was evident at the House as legislator Endang Zainal Abidin of the United Development Party faction freely admitted, "it was the only Indonesian television program that I used to watch."

He praised the program for its educational qualities and the moral values it transmitted to the country's youths. (05/mds)