Publicly Condemned, KPI Says Indosiar Will Replace The Soap Opera Player Voice Of The Wife's Heart

ILLUSTRATION/UNSPLASH

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) has summoned Indosiar for presenting a 15-year-old actress and acting as the third wife in the soap opera Suara Hati Istri. KPI asked Indosiar for clarification because it was criticized by a number of people.

Central KPI Commissioner for Institutional Affairs, Nuning Rodiyah, said that Indosiar had received all public input on the soap opera. As a result, the cast will be changed.

"The follow-up from Indosiar going forward is to change the cast in the next three episodes," said Nuning in a statement, Thursday, June 3.

Nuning emphasized that the evaluation of the soap opera Suara Hati Istri must be carried out thoroughly, both in terms of the cast and the theme of the story.

"In principle, KPI has an interest in ensuring that screens prioritize the principle of protection for children. Do not let children's rights be violated because television ignores these principles," he said.

In the future, Nuning continued, KPI will immediately call the production house and also Indosiar, to ensure that the repairs carried out have gone well.

The soap opera Suara Hati Istri was widely discussed by netizens with a negative tone. Warganet criticized Indosiar for campaigning for pedophilia.

In the soap opera, Indosiar placed 15-year-old actress Lea Ciarachel who had to play an adult scene as the wife of a 39-year-old husband.

One of the critics is the actor and film producer, Ernest Prakasa. In his Instagram account, Ernestprakasa, it is not appropriate for Indosiar to do this for the sake of viewing ratings alone.

"O @indosiar, this is outrageous. Very, very outrageous. Zahra's actor is still 15 years old. Okay, the standard for TV is rating. But the benchmark for humans is conscience and common sense. Do you think this is reasonable?" said Ernest.

Illiza Sa'aduddin Djamal, a member of Commission X DPR from the PPP faction, also criticized this broadcast. Illiza saw that the program was dangerous and not educational for the general public on television, especially children.

"The show also includes promoting pedophiles. It is inappropriate for an underage artist to play an adult character, let alone to play a vulgar scene," he said.