Malaysia, Indonesia out of tune

Ong Hock Chuan, Jakarta

Neighboring and serumpun (from the same root) countries Malaysia and Indonesia have been out of step with each other lately over the traditional song Rasa Sayang.

The song and dance over Rasa Sayang began when the Malaysian government used it as a jingle to promote the country’s tourism.

Indonesians were aghast that a homespun Ambonese song had been appropriated by its neighbor. Some legislators called for the Malaysian government to be sued in the international court for stealing an Indonesian song.

Malaysia reacted by saying that the song was as much theirs as Indonesia’s since the song came from the Malay Archipelago. And since Malaysia’s culture is dominantly Malay, they had a right to use it.

Though the Rasa Sayang issue seemed to center over the heritage of a common culture, what it really exposed was the vast cultural difference between Malaysia and Indonesia in what is meant by the word “Malay.”

The difference is rooted over the perception of the concept of “Malay” in.

To Indonesians, Malay means an “ethnic group located primarily in the Malay peninsula, and parts of Sumatra and Borneo,” if you go by the Wikipedia definition. In other words, being Malay is no different from being a Batak, a Javanese, an Ambonese or a Sundanese. They are all, however of one nationality Indonesian, no matter which ethnic group they belong to and everyone is considered equal in the constitution.

This is not so in Malaysia. To many Malaysians, especially the Malaysian government, the word Malay means a race, as proposed by the German scientist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach.

It is a theory that has been dismissed by anthropologists but, says the Wikipedia entry, “is still often used in this context, and it is the basis for Malay identity within the Malaysian nation.”

And there lies the trap that destroys Malaysia’s claim to any ownership to Rasa Sayang or most of the so-called Malay traditions and culture.

In reality, the Malays in Malaysia are mostly of Indonesian origin, according to Michael Chick, a Malaysian film maker who has studied the issue in depth. He has commented in a blog that 75 percent of Malays in Peninsular Malaysia are of Javanese descent. An additional 20 percent are from the rest of Indonesia.

Yet, because of history and politics, the Malaysian government must maintain the notion that Malay is a race. The notion secures for the government the support and votes of the “Malays” in Malaysia, who constitute a majority of the population.

If it were to acknowledge that Malay is not a race, then it would mean that Malaysia is a diverse nation that comprise ethnic Javanese, Chinese, Tamils, Minangkabau, Negrito, Dayak?It would have to go the Indonesian route of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (unity in Diversity). If this happens the political elite would lose its hold on power.

So this is the reason why Malaysia can only spin poor excuses for its use of Rasa Sayang. And it is for this reason that when it comes to a pissing contest dealing with the ownership of culture and heritage in both countries, Indonesia will always be upwind.

Indonesia, however, should not let this be an excuse to sit on its haunches. Culturally, Indonesia suffers from an embarrassment of richness when compared to its neighbor, but the ability of the government to exploit these potential gems is an embarrassment when compared to Malaysia.

For all its faults the Malaysian government is much better at packaging and marketing than Indonesia.

Indonesians here all admire how Malaysia markets itself with it Truly Asia slogan while living in a country of immense cultural, ethnic and geographic diversity. Its own marketing efforts are miserable and one would be hard pressed to remember the Indonesian tourism slogan.

Indonesia needs to wake up to the fact that it is bad at marketing and if it continues to be bad, its competitors would take advantage. While Indonesia can be righteous, it would also be futile as we all live in a world where migration makes borders meaningless and competition razor sharp across borders.

Indonesia must be competitive to survive. It is blessed by natural resources and the diversity of its peoples and cultures that none can match. It is better to make the most of what we have rather than make much ado over what others take from us.

The writer is Technical Advisor at Maverick, a public relations consultancy specializing in crisis and issues management. He can be contacted at ong[at]maverick.co.id.

Read on. The Antara article below was contributed by reader firdausj with the saying:

“Keledai-pun nggak mau jatuh jatuh dua kali di lobang yang sama” .. Hahahahaha…..

Read on:

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Malaysia Kembali “Bajak” Lagu Daerah Indonesia di Osaka

Tokyo (ANTARA News) – Konsulat Jenderal RI di Osaka melayangkan surat protes kepada Direktur Malaysian Tourism Office di Osaka, menyusul penggunaan kembali lagu daerah Indonesia dalam acara Asia Festival 2007 yang berlangsung di Osaka pada pertengahan Oktober lalu.

Konsul Jenderal RI Pitono Purnomo mengemukakan hal itu kepada Antara di Tokyo, Kamis, ketika dikonfirmasi mengenai aksi “pembajakan” tersebut.

“Kami sudah mengirimkan surat protes kepada pihak Malaysia namun belum ada respon sama sekali dari mereka,” katanya.

Pihak Konsulat juga sudah melakukan koordinasi dengan pejabat Departemen Luar Negeri RI di Jakarta serta petinggi Departemen Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata, termasuk Kuasa Usaha Ad Interim KBRI Kuala Lumpur.

“Surat protes ini penting sebagai peringatan keras terhadap Malaysia agar tidak lagi sembarangan menggunakan lagu-lagu Indonesia. Kejadian ini nanti bisa diartikan negatif, misalnya seperti menantang Indonesia,” ujarnya.

Oleh sebab itu, katanya, pihak konsulat buru-buru mengirimkan surat peringatan agar Malaysia bisa menahan diri agar hubungan kedua bangsa menjadi semakin memburuk. Terlebih kedua negara merupakan tetangga yang dekat.

Lebih jauh ia menjelaskan bahwa sebetulnya Indonesia tidak mempermasalahkan penggunaan lagu-lagu Indonesia oleh Negara lain, asalkan secara jujur memberikan penjelasan yang lengkap bahwa lagu tersebut berasal dari Indonesia.

“Kita sebetulnya bangga juga kalau lagu kita diperkenalkan oleh pihak lain, tetapi bukan begitu caranya,” kata Pitono lagi.

Ia menegaskan bahwa kesengajaan mengubah sebagian lirik dan aransemen lagu oleh pihak Malaysia dapat mengakibatkan penonton beranggapan bahwa keseluruhan penampilan baik musik dan tariannya adalah tari dan musik dari Malaysia.

Asal Sumbar

Menurut informasi yang diperoleh, penggunaan lagu Indonesia itu diketahui saat berlangsungnya acara Asia Festival 2007 yang diikuti oleh Negara-negara ASEAN, termasuk Indonesia dan Malaysia pada 12-14 Oktober lalu.

Salah seorang staf konsulat Jenderal Osaka ketika itu tengah menyaksikan penampilan tim kesenian Malaysia “Cinta Sayang” pada 14 Oktober lalu. Salah satu tarian yang ditampilkan Malaysia menggunakan iringan musik yang berasal dari Sumatera Barat (Sumbar), yaitu “Indang Sungai Garinggiang”.

Sebelum dan sesudahnya pihak Malaysian Tourism Office di Osaka yang mengelola penampilan tim kesenian tersebut sama sekali tidak memberi penjelasan bahwa lagu yang dipakai sebagai musik pengiring tarian itu adalah lagu yang berasal dari Indonesia.

Guna memastikan, pihak konjen RI Osaka menghubungi berbagai pihak di Jakarta dan juga tokoh-tokoh masyarakat asal Sumatera Barat dan diperoleh kepastian bahwa pencipta lagu “Indang Sungai Garinggiang” adalah Tiar Ramon, seniman musik dan penyanyi asal Sumbar pada tahun 1981.

“Memang sang penciptanya sudah meninggal, tetapi semua data-data yang kita miliki sudah cukup kuat untuk bisa memperingati Malaysia,” kata seorang warga Minang yang tinggal di Osaka.

Menurut keterangannya, lagu itu diciptakan atas permintaan Pemda Sumbar untuk digunakan sebagai musik pengiring “Tari Indang”. Lagu itu diperkenalkan pertama kali dipertunjukkan secara nasional pada upacara pembukaan MTQ (Musabaqah Tilawatil Qur?an) tingkat nasional di Padang pada tahun 1983.

Berdasarkan semua data itulah Konsul Jenderal Osaka Pitono Purnomo menyurati Azhari Haron, Direktur Malaysian Tourism Office juga di Osaka pada 19 Oktober 2007 untuk memberikan penjelasan yang selengkapnya atas penggunaan lagu itu.

Tembusan surat juga dilayangkan ke pihak penyelenggara festival FM Cocolo guna mengeRti persoalannya dengan memberikan penjelasan yang lengkap.

Sebelumnya lagu daerah asal Maluku “Rasa Sayange” juga dibajak oleh Negara tetangga itu yang semakin menyulut sentimen bangsa Indonesia, menyusul serangkaian perlakukan buruk dan meremehkan warganegara Indonesia yang bermukim di Malaysia.(*)

If you go by the first definition then sure, Malaysia has the right to use anything in the Malay Archipelago because it belongs to the Malay race.

If you go by the second definition then, boy, Malaysia can’t even claim to be the king of the mountain of the Malay world. The Melayus of Sumatra especially can claim the right to the throne since it is in their island that Iskandar Zul Karnian (Alexander the Great, how did a Greek get into the picture? It’s all Greek to Unspun) appeared and all floweth from him.

To Indonesians and others, Malay means “the ethnic group located primarily in the Malay peninsula, and parts of Sumatra and Borneo.” In other words the Melayu is a small ethnic group holed up in mainly Sumatra where Indonesians are concerned. And they are a small minority compared to the javanese, the Sundanese, the Bataks and the Ambonese, who seem to be the undisputed source for Rasa Sayang(e).

So here’s a wicked idea to add to the controversy: What if Sumatran Melayus sue the Malaysian government for trying to pass itself off as the Big Swinging Stick of the Malay world? Iskandar, after all, did not see it fit to trample on their earth but Sumatra’s. And who’s got the Melayu River where Iskandar made his debut?

clipped from www.nst.com.my KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has dismissed an Indonesian legislator’s claim that the song Rasa Sayang belonged solely to Indonesia.

(Update: Unspun, uncharacteristically, did not go through the papers this morning. It appears that the problem is even more serious as the matter has been brought before parliament. This is an excerpt of a report from The Jakarta Post:

The House on Monday urged an immediate response from the government to Malaysia’s use of the traditional Indonesian song Rasa Sayange in its “Truly Asia” tourism campaign.

House of Representatives member Hakam Naja of the National Mandate Party (PAN) said if the government could prove the song belonged to Indonesia, Indonesia should sue the Malaysian government.

“The government needs to check on its origins, whether it’s from Indonesia or not,” the deputy chairman of House Commission X overseeing education and tourism was quoted as saying by detik.com newsportal.

Rasa Sayange is believed to have originated in Maluku, where it has been sung for generations by people to express their love for the environment. (rst of story here)

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Is a cultural flap between serumpun countries Malaysia and Indonesia in the works?

Unspun‘s business partner today told me of a radio broadcast talking about the Rasa Sayang Malaysia site, which is Malaysia’s answer to e-marketing itself to the world.

According to the radio program, the site’s comments section has been closed down because many Indonesians have been writing in to complain of Malaysia’s appropriation of the Rasa Sayang tune to boost its own image.

Ever the skeptic Unspun went to the site and clicked on the “comments” hyperlinked. Nothing happened! This suggests that the radio announcer may be right.

This all set Unspun‘s head spinning about Malaysian culture and how sometimes Malaysia goes so hard to create a culture of its own that the results become ersatz. Consider, for instance, what sometimes happens when Malaysians get an invitation to attend a formal Malaysian occasion: The dress code is usually specified as “Malaysian Batik.” Not just any batik but “Malaysian Batik.

This may work well in other countries but not in Indonesia, home of the batik. The batik here, from Solo, and Pekalongan are exquisite, beautiful and full of history (for more information on Indonesian batik try my friend’s blogsite here. Compare it to the Malaysian batik, and you’d see the difference. Wavy lines that a five year old could have drawn over satiny fabric that’s good for showing off the spare tyres of middle aged men. Amoeba would have more culture.

And it is always an embarrassment when Malaysia culture shows are staged here. What can we show them that they do not have? Wayang Kulit? Satay? (OK, ganted Unspun likes Malaysian satay a lot over Indonesian ones but its hardly a Malaysian invention is it?) A Malaysian minister scolding bloggers goblok? Unspun’s written about it here and here.

But the point here is not to trash Malaysia; rather it is to suggest that it should perhaps find more creative ways of expressing its multi-racial culture that befits a nation 50 years in the making with lots of creative and smart people.

Back to the possible flap on Rasa Sayang. Is the tune Indonesian? Unspun is no authority on musicology and would like to hear from any authoritative persons out there.

This has the hallmarks of an issue that may escalate. If the radio announcer was right then the Malaysian authorities have a task on their hands to manage this issue before it snowballs into a public flap with nationalistic sentiments inflamed on both sides of the straits. Perhaps the Malaysian Tourist Board’s new PR consultant has good advice on how to handle the issue?

(Readers please note: This may shape up to be a emotive issue so let’s all work toward making this a discussion rather than a catfight. It’s OK to express opinions but try to refrain from name calling and emotive language. If you feel someone should o should not do something, say it and say why. Other than that, debate all you want!)