Emotion over sense in this squabble
(The Straits Times) SEPT 12 – The curious tiff between Malaysia and Indonesia defies rationality. Vigilante gangs in Indonesia have sought to “sweep” Malaysians out at roadblocks. Protesters have pelted the Malaysian embassy with bad eggs.
These came about after Indonesians accused Malaysians of hijacking a Balinese dance for a promotional campaign on Malaysia. The affair is doubly irrational when one considers the fact that the error was committed not by Malaysia but by the widely watched cable Discovery Channel.
The emotional venting, however, is rational when examined in historical context. The ruckus is a symptom of a deeper malaise in bilateral relations.
Malaysia has progressed much faster than Indonesia and jobs are more plentiful than could be created in Indonesia for its much bigger population. The economic gap has resulted in a flood of surplus Indonesian workers into Malaysia to do “3D” (dirty, dangerous and demeaning) jobs in sectors such as construction, plantations, household help and even the sex trade.
Against this backdrop, ordinary Indonesians rile against being treated as second-class by their kinsmen. Some insensitive Malaysians exacerbate matters when they assert their position in the superior-subordinate relationship.
But a rational appreciation of history does not imply desirability. It is commendable that political leaders in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta have kept their cool amid the current spat. It also is encouraging that media organisations on both sides – apart from some inflammatory reportage in fringe Indonesian media – have largely published measured reports.
In the long term, both governments should – and must – discourage rash actions on the ground that could heighten tensions. In a recent paper, University of Malaya scholars Khadijah Khalid and Shakila Yacob warned that the question of Indonesian labour in Malaysia remains the most “contentious issue” in their relationship.
Both countries would do well to stress their common and shared cultural heritage, rather than allow their citizens to score nationalist points by declaring exclusive ownership of cultural symbols.
As one Malaysian minister has noted, India did not make any noise about Hindi songs being sung in Malaysia and Indonesia. (To buttress the point, India has also never protested against the use of its great Ramayana and Mahabharata epics in Indonesia’s wayang kulit.) It might well be true, as Shakespeare notes, that the nearer by blood, the nearer the bloody.
But Malaysia and Indonesia, pivotal members of the Asean family, do not serve the grouping’s interests internationally if they let emotion rule over common sense.
