Indonesia Culture/Malaysia Culture

There’s an interesting issue brimming between the two Southeast Asian neighbors – Indonesia and Malaysia – one that has caught the news world just today. It’s in fact a broiling issue that threatens to overflow—- amounting even to a call for war.

Just lately, Indonesia has accused Malaysia of plagiarizing its culture when the latter used a Balinese dance—- the Balinese Pendet Dance —- to promote a TV Program aimed at imbibing tourism.

Malaysia has since apologized and had canceled the use of the disputed dance. Yet, tempers remain high as Indonesian protesters trooped to the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta and pelted it with unlikely missiles, from rotten eggs to ninja bladed stars—- mind you. And some of them thought war could ensue. Now that’s really a serious consequence just for a mix-up on a cultural dance, getting overboard somehow.

But there’s a positive thing I see in this brewing controversy for it only shows how these two countries feel so much passionately about their culture.

Contrary perhaps to the fact that some of us do not even think about it anymore, not in this ultra-high speed, modern age that we are living right now.

Still, I must say that Indonesia and Malaysia should hold their horses and refrain from going to war (pun intended) based on the misuse of a Balinese Pendet Dance. Historically, speaking the two countries share so much in terms of culture and civilizing influence, a fusion that goes back to so many centuries ago, even as far back as the empiric age of Sri Vijaya and Majapahit (7th to 13th Century). And even with the Philippines, cultural affiances are myriad and overwhelming.

In this age, the Hindu culture from across the ocean had made very deep inroads into the Malay Archipelago and into the vast Indonesian islands. This had happened in a time long before the Arabs and Chinese came, for trade or religious duty.

In this manner, mix-ups or confusion with cultural items or matters would surely ensue, and could not actually be negated completely. To this, there should be understanding and indulgence between the two Southeast Asian countries, two nations that are often at odds with each other, even going to war in the 1960’s in dispute of Borneo(Konfrontasi).

And besides, it’s time that Southeast Asian countries should band together culturally and not be so mindful of minor cultural differences. Culture is best apprehended and appreciated when it is shared especially to the ones that are near and adjacent.

By the way, as an upshot of this controversy, some Indonesians started to point out that the Malaysian national anthem, Negaraku (My Country) , was merely a copycat of an Indonesian song Terang Bulang (Bright Moon). This is true in some point since the two songs, Negaraku and Terang Bulan are adaptations of an old French melody that was so popular in the entire Malay peninsula in the 17th century.

Now this one could actually inflame and flare-up nationalistic and patriotic feelings and sentiments since we are already speaking of a national anthem here, and not merely a cultural dance.

I hope the leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia would be wise enough to calm the fierce debate at the soonest time possible and be able to resolve it in the most reasonable of manner.