Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Ismira lutfia, Indonesia – Embattled purveyors of "infotainment," or gossip, shows could be dealt another blow in the wake of a ban imposed by Muslim clerics: a halt to daytime broadcasts during Ramadan.
The call came on Thursday from lawmakers at the House of Representatives' Commission I, overseeing information, and follows Tuesday's edict by the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) branding the shows haram, or forbidden, under Islam.
Commission I member Ramadhan Pohan, from the ruling Democratic Party, said the proposed suspension, agreed on several days earlier, would see the shows shunted to after 10 p.m. from their usual time slots in the morning and afternoon.
"The whole point is to ensure everyone who fasts can do so in the best possible circumstances," Ramadhan said.
He said talks were still ongoing over whether to extend the broadcast ban to after midnight. "Despite this minor point, we all agree infotainment shows must be limited," Ramadhan said.
He said an informal study by Commission I showed such programs across all free-to-air TV stations accounted for 14 hours of programming a day.
Ramadhan argued that because the airwaves were in the pubic domain, they should not be used to air shows concerning the private lives of individuals, which he claimed was of no public interest during Ramadan.
Commission I plans to meet with the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) to adopt its proposal for the expected start of Ramadan on Aug. 11.
Tantowi Yahya, a Commission I legislator from the Golkar Party, said the proposal was not aimed at crippling the infotainment industry but rather at bringing about a TV-viewing climate conducive to Muslims who were fasting and needed to abstain from immoral thoughts.
"Broadcast media must be responsible for the programs aired," said Tantowi, a former country singer and game-show host.
Ramadhan said Indonesian infotainment producers had it relatively easy, claiming that in other countries such shows were restricted to cable TV. "That system makes sense, whereby the viewers can choose what they want to watch, unlike here where infotainment is free-to-air, leaving viewers with no option," he said.
The House proposal, coupled with the MUI's edict, are just the latest attacks against infotainment programs, deemed morally irresponsible and gratuitous.
However, Press Council member Agus Sudibyo said the MUI edict was not legally binding.
Earlier this month, the KPI classified infotainment shows as "non-factual," thus rendering them subject to censorship.