TV dubbing proposal still open to public's discussion

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Information Harmoko said yesterday that his recent proposal that television stations dub all foreign programs into Indonesian language is not yet binding.

"It's still a proposal, not yet a law, and we're open to suggestions," he said after submitting a draft bill on broadcasting to the House of Representatives yesterday.

The minister's proposal is incorporated into the 58-chapter draft bill. It states, among other things, that television stations should dub all foreign programs, including those in English, into Indonesian. Religious programs, language lessons, and programs for international purposes, however, are to be exempted from the stipulation.

Harmoko said last week that it would apply to imported television programs from India, China and Latin America, whose programs are growing in popularity among Indonesian viewers. Most of these programs have already been dubbed into Indonesian.

The proposal has sparked much debate. Maria Oentoe, a leading dubber, disagreed with the appeal to dub all foreign programs into Indonesian, especially for English-language programs which she said are needed for public education.

"Okay, this appeal is good news for dubbers," she said. "There's opportunity in this, but it should also make all dubbers work harder.

"If they can't be good dubbers, they shouldn't take the job," she said. "Don't make viewers turn off their televisions just because of the poor dubbing or bad translation."

Denok Srisukartinah, an education counselor at the British Council, is also against the idea.

"English language programs are needed to improve student comprehension of the language," she said. "Besides, not all English terms can be translated into Indonesian properly.

"The government should let the public decide by using an audio technology which enables them to choose the languages of their preference," she suggested.

Ediyami Bondan Andoko, head of National Library's department for the preservation and deposit of reading materials, said she agreed with the proposal but wanted it to exclude English language programs.

"If I was studying English, I would want to know how a word is pronounced," she said. "Besides, English is an international language."

S. Djathi Koesoemo, a legislator on the House Commission IX for education affairs, called for selectivity in the project. "Don't dub art films unless they can be translated with quality into Indonesian," he said. (31)