Dessy Sagita – The singing contest show "Indonesian Idol," which is aired by Rajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia, has been attacked for its judges' allegedly discriminatory and sexist comments.
Several organizations and public figures who have formed Ampati, an alliance focusing on concerns with Indonesian television, demanded RCTI edit this year's "Indonesian Idol" before airing it to cut out any disturbing content linked to gender.
"Juries cause a fuss when they see male contestants acting too feminine and started issuing remarks such as 'transvestite', 'not macho enough' and 'wandu' [a Javanese term for a feminine-like male]," Hartoyo, secretary general of Ourvoice, an advocate for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders, said in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Hartoyo said "Indonesian Idol" exploited male contestants' femininity and at the same time harassed them with their remarks. He quoted some of the judges comments aired on March 25.
Anang Hermansyah: "You [sing] like girls; you should [sing] like boys and not like girls."
Ahmad Dhani: "This is why doomsday is near" and "Your face doesn't fit [the profile of] this song."
Agnes Monica: "You are so macho."
Hartoyo said as a talent show, "Indonesian Idol" should have focused on the singing ability of the contestants instead of their sexual identities or their physical characteristics.
"It's unethical to garner a high rating and generate money out of the misery of other people. The jury's comments on 'Indonesian Idol' are very sexist," he said.
Ampati demanded RCTI re-edit the show and forbid juries from discriminating against and discrediting contestants for any reason. Ampati also demanded the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) reprimand RCTI for broadcasting the program.
Ezki Suyanto, a KPI commissioner who received the report, said the agency will verify the complaints and bring the issue to a meeting of commissioners.
"We will watch the show and we'll analyze it. After that we will bring it to a plenary meeting and impose sanctions on RCTI if it committed any violations. RCTI denied the accusation.
"I don't agree that 'Indonesian Idol' is discrediting anyone. What's the definition of discrediting? It's very subjective and relative. Other people may find something offensive, but I don't," RCTI corporate secretary Driantama told BeritaSatu.com on Wednesday.
Driantama said that all RCTI programs had to go through several layers of editing processes and that the company adopts a strict quality control. "[RCTI] has been around for more than 20 years and we couldn't be reckless," he said. "We have extraordinarily strict editorial and quality control."