mari kita melihat isu tarian pendet dari perspektif yang adil dan objektif dalam menilai hubungan antara Malaysia dengan Indonesia

Hari ini hari isnin tanggal 7 September 2009 yang juga merupakan hari ke 17 dalam bulan Ramadhan yang mulia..juga diingati sebagai hari Nuzul Quran.

Beberapa minggu yang lalu saya pernah menulis atas satu perkara iaitu tentang hubungan antara Malaysia dan Indonesia. Mungkin anda tertanya-tanya mengapa saya kerapkali memilih untuk menulis berdasarkan tajuk ini dan mungkin pada saat ini anda akan tertanya-tanya apa yang menyebabkan saya sebagai seorang guru yang mengajar dalam mata pelajaran Prinsip Perakaunan dan Pengajian Perniagaan mahu menulis sesuatu yang diluar bidang kepakarannya...apakah bidang pendidikan yang saya ceburi selama hampir 20 tahun (1990-2010) sudah tidak mampu menarik minat saya lagi?

Untuk menjelaskan kepada anda semua yang singgah dan membaca di sini, saya sebenarnya masih berminat dengan kerjaya yang telah saya ceburi dan minat ini makin mendalam dari hari ke sehari walaupun sudah hampir 20 tahun saya berada di bidang ini. Namun begitu sebagai seorang insan yang usia kehidupan saya sudah mencecah 43 tahun, secara perlahan-lahan saya yang begitu idealis pada suatu ketika dahulu telah beralih minat kepada perkara-perkara yang berkaitan keagamaan, kebudayaan, kemanusiaan dan sejarah. Dan minat saya makin mendalam terhadap hubungan antara Malaysia dengan Indonesia tercetus apabila saya buat pertama kalinya menjejakkan kaki ke bumi minangkabau yang terkenal dengan tokoh ulama tersohor Indonesia iaitu Hamka.

Tujuan saya menulis dan memetik petikan dan tulisan dalam isu yang berkaitan dengan hubungan antara rakyat Malaysia dan Indonesia bukanlah bertujuan untuk menyemai bibit kebencian antara rakyat senegara saya dengan rakyat Indonesia jauh sekali untuk membakar api kemarahan sesiapa tetapi ia berdasarkan hasrat murni dan jujur untuk memberi sedikit ruang untuk kita semua melihat isu ini dari perspektif yang lebih jelas, adil dan rasional. Supaya kita dapat memahami bagaimana ia bermula dan atas sebab apa dan akhir-akhir ini mengajak rakan-rakan semua menyedari bahawa wujudnya satu usaha yang halus dan terancang dari pihak luar untuk memecahbelahkan satu perpaduan Dunia Islam yang telah terbina sekian lama di antara Malaysia dengan Indonesia.

Petikan dari Mingguan Malaysia bertarikh 6 September 2009

PROVOKASI MEDIA CETUS KEMARAHAN TERHADAP MALAYSIA

Jakarta 5 Sept-Penganalisis politik, Wimar Witoelar berpendapat kontroversi yang tercetus di Indonesia baru-baru ini berhubung oleh MalaysiaTarian Pendet yang didakwa 'dicuri' berpunca daripada sejarah lama kemarahan dan kebencian rakyat Indonesia terhadap Malaysia, sekalipun kedua-dua negara mempunyai persamaan bahasa dan budaya.

Wimar berkata, bibit perasaan marah dan benci itu telah tersemai seawal tahun 1960-an apabila bekas presiden Soekarno dengan karismanya memarakkan semangat rakyat Indonesia dalam kempen Konfrantasi yang bertujuan menggugat kestabilan Malaysia, yang ketika itu baru merdeka.

"Api kemarahan yang dimarakkan oleh Soekarno itu tidak mudah padam. Ia hanya terpendam dan menjadi ketara apabila Malaysia ternyata menjadi lebih berjaya, terutamanya daripada segi ekonomi," katanya.

Perbalahan berpunca daripada budaya dan pelancongan adalah sebahagian daripada perasaan yang terpendam itu, kata Wimar.

Walaupun mempunyai 17,000 buah pulau tropika, pantai dan terumbu serta kaya dengan warisan budaya, Indonesia hanya berjaya menarik lebih 6 juta pelancong asing pada tahun lepas berbanding kira-kira 22 juta pelancong yang melawat Malaysia.

Disebabkan oleh provokasi daripada media yang menggemari sensasi, isu tersebut hanyalah satu lagi isu maruah tercalar yang boleh menghasut rakyat 'yang tidak mempunyai kewarasan, tidak memiliki kebijaksanaan dan tidak memiliki kefahaman', kata beliau.

Kerana tiadanya kewarasan, kebijaksanaan dan kefahaman itulah rakyat Indonesia terus meluahkan kemarahan berhubung kontroversi Tarian Pendet, sekalipun sudah terbukti Malaysia tidak terlibat sama sekali dalam penyiaran iklan pelancongan yang memaparkan tarian tradisional penduduk Bali itu.

Malah kemarahan mereka yang tidak berasas itu telah membawa kepada seruan supaya perang dilancarkan ke atas Malaysia.

Puak Nasionalis di sini sudah pun membuka pendaftaran untuk sukarelawan yang sanggup pergi berperang dengan Malaysia, tetapi mereka mengakui tindakan itu lebih bersifat simbolik.

"Kami ada 486 sukarelawan yang sudah mendaftarkan diri dan bersedia untuk menghadapi sebarang kemungkinan..kami hanya menunggu perang dengan Malaysia," kata penyelaras kempen anjuran kumpulan pemuda nasionalis Bendera, Mustar Bonaventura.

Dia mengakui kemungkinan berlaku perang adalah sangat tipis tetapi kumpulannya sudah menyimpan stok makanan, ubat-ubatan dan senjata termasuk pedang samurai dan 'bintang' ninja.-AFP

Letter: Should we hate Malaysia? (Jakarta Post)
Tue, 09/01/2009 12:48 PM Reader's Forum

There has been a lot of hype and complaints from many Indonesians towards our fellow neighbor, Malaysia. It is an ongoing battle that seems to have no end. Currently, Indonesians are furious with Malaysia over the Pendet dance and its origins. Although there are new facts from the Discovery Channel that there was a third party involved with the misunderstanding, many Indonesia can't help but reject that notion. They strongly believe that it is the Malaysians' fault.

Lately, everywhere I go, I seem to hear people discussing this Malaysia-Indonesia dispute regarding the Pendet dance. More and more it seems that people are no longer fussing about Malaysia trying to steal the Pendet dance idea, but instead just clearly stating how much they hate Malaysia. Whether I'm in my dorm, at campus, or at a McDonald's, I hear the statement of "I hate Malaysia" constantly. People seem to hate talking about Malaysia, but can't help discussing them. That hate can be dated back to a long time ago. But the question in my mind still remains, should we hate Malaysia?

I'll admit the fact that Malaysia has too often pushed Indonesia's buttons regarding many issues, especially those of customs and traditions. There was the Batik dispute, the cases of TKI being abused, the Pendet dance dispute, and others. The impression of stealing those ideas is wrong, but the outcome is actually somewhat good for Indonesia.

Batik is what many people consider "khas Indonesia", ranging from Javanese Batik to Sundanese Batik. Indeed it is true, but before Malaysia tried to claim Batik as originating from their country, Indonesians didn't really respect nor pay much attention to Batik. Only after the dispute did we put up our shields and get our spears out ready to attack Malaysia.

Another issue is regarding the ever-growing number of abused TKI cases that mainly comes from TKI in Malaysia. What I know, and based on my friends' opinions, they admitted that the Indonesian government never paid much attention to TKI. TKI were invisible to the government and were vulnerable because they were never fully protected. They were just another export commodity to help the Indonesian economy. However, several cases of TKI being abused later, the Indonesian government started paying attention to the issue. Now the government is discussing possible solutions with Malaysia on how to better protect our TKI.

Indeed, I am not saying that we should allow Malaysia to keep stealing our ideas. Our government and our President also need to get in on the act because they have not taken the necessary measures to end this Malaysia-Indonesia dispute. A professor of mine said that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono always waits for Malaysia to apologize and when they do, he will certainly forgive them and put it all in the past. If he doesn't change his actions towards Malaysia, how are Indonesians and Malaysians going to stop this hate? Somebody has to put their foot down.

What I'm saying is that the ongoing battle between Indonesia and Malaysia is caused by the misunderstanding of both countries. Not all Malaysians are as evil as many Indonesians believe they are and vice-versa. Both Malaysians and Indonesians shouldn't be narrow-minded when it comes to their judgments regarding each other. It worries me how much we Indonesians hate Malaysia and how insulting Malaysia can be towards Indonesians.

A relative of mine said that Indonesians and Malaysians are like brothers, so why can't we just get along?

Cantika Paramitha R
Bandung

Ina (not verified), JKT — Mon, 09/07/2009 - 9:56am
We dont want to hate you Malaysian,really!! But you guys insulting us; call us as Indon, think we are lower creature by saying they are already enough in tolerating the TKI in robbery case etc. but not refer to case when BOSSES (majikan) kill, rape their maid etc. If i have root of Indonesian blood and moved to nowhere island, i wont claim the culture as mine and still admiting to the world that the culture belongs to Indonesia instead. The suspicious about Discovery Channel Tari Pendet case which Malaysia claims as third party's fault, we are thingking that there is no way third party making the promotion of Malaysia without approval from Malaysia government and sound ridicilous when the editing was by Discovery Channel without any material submission from Malaysia. Respect on each other is best!!!

Citytour (not verified), Kuala Lumpur — Mon, 09/07/2009 - 8:16am
Dear A.R. Tauran, I read your hypothesis with great enthusiaism but could not understand what do you really want to infer to Malaysia-Indonesia brawl since the last few months. Let me make it clear that no one, i repeat, no one in Malaysia really cares about what has made Indonesians too sennsitive over the small trivial issue. Edammer cheese is of course not made in Antwerpen, because everyone knows that is its Dutch. Malaysian batik is not in anyway a copy of Indonesian batik. Perhaps only blind person would say Malaysian batik is similar to Indonesia's. In fact it is named Malaysian batik, not Malay Indo batik. For pendet dance, many had, including this newspaper, made it clear that the advert tab was not made by Malaysia, but made by a third party, namely Discovery Networks based in Singapore, to advertise its TV programme, not advertise the Malaysian tourism campaign. If you are a reader of local Indonesian Indonesian language papers, you would not find it as your papers hide this news from the public. For others who have commented and related to the 1963's failed Konfrantasi against Malaysia, please wake up, we are now living in the year 2009, and you Ganyang Malaysia slogan is no longer comprehensibly applicable. Indonesia, led by President SBY is looking for position in the world diplomacy, unlike Bung Karno, who was, to me, very impatient to see the Great Indonesia, but forgetting th value of world diplomacy. In fact, Bung Karno was aligning himself to the East. Thats why he failed and later was "replaced" by Pak Harto. Agree or not, Pak Harto's time was better than any other Indonesian President. You may ask any taxi driver in Indonesia. You may have better demoncracy today, but you have better food, shelter and dress during Pak Harto's time. If you want to reminiscent and return to Bung Karno's time, well, as many of your fellow men always say, SILAKAN. Do you really want to get out of the U.N? Silakan. You may isolate yourself like North Korea and Myanmar. It is about time for Indonesians to start appreciating its own identity.

Debbie Loh (not verified), Kuala Lumpur — Mon, 09/07/2009 - 8:03am
For the record, I am a Malaysian and I like Indonesia! My best friend is an Indonesian. I love the language, I love the people - I'm cool. Let's not fight, seriously... The last thing we need in this region is a fight. We need to membangun- get our act together and bring up our region, and we can do it at the grassroots level, whether our leaders are having their exchanges or not.

Eddie Hanson (not verified), KL — Sun, 09/06/2009 - 8:11pm
Indonesia...indonesia....what a pity...perhaps indonesia needs another 20 years to well educate their people in rational thinking instead of harboring hatred...

Melayu-Jawa (not verified), KL — Sun, 09/06/2009 - 6:00pm
Why don't these unhappy Indonesians sue Malaysia for stealing their cultural heritage? They can always bring their case to the international court of justice or some other international court to their liking. I think if they do that then we save our time slandering each other in the media which cause more hatred between us. If they really think the Malaysians are thieves then bring us to court. At least if they win (which I don't think so) they will get compensated and justice has been served. If they are reluctant to do that, then stop babbling and just keep quiet.

Husni (not verified), kuala lumpur — Sun, 09/06/2009 - 5:50pmReferring to Cantika's last sentence , " Indonesians and Malaysians are like brothers "..I have to commend the level of broadmindedness in the writer, something which I would like to see more from fellow Indonesians. The fact is..if you understand the history of the Nusantara..we both really are..not unless you are of the descent of other races eg Chinese or Indians etc Certainly the issue is a lack of understanding on both sides. Being a 3rd generation Malaysian of Banjarese origin traders from Kalimantan Selatan who patriotically call Malaysia their home , we still maintain our " Banjareseness " in our culture and language , and we feel proud of it. Our Malaysian brothers from Minangkabau , Bugis and Javanese descent too , proudly maintain their culture and language...and form their own cultural societies , and as Malaysians , we are broadminded to accept these variances..and hence , is there anything wrong for us here to maintain the culture of our forefathers that originated from Indonesia that we are very proud of? Is there anything wrong for me to eat Soto Banjar and speak my Banjarese dialect whilst being Malaysian in patriotism? Many of our ministers themselves are 3rd or 4th generation descendants of Indonesian origin. Even our Prime Minister has got Bugis blood in him. My family still maintain close ties with our relatives all over Indonesia , and such ridiculous talk that only reflects petty jealousy and envy as seen in Indonesia's newspapers never exist on both sides of the family over both oceans. So for Indonesians to claim that their culture is only theirs alone is totally uncalled for and I believe , has a weak basis. Historically , why this vast "Nusantara" was called " The Malay Archipelago" truly has an important connotation , which we should all realise. I am a proud Malaysian , and I am also proud of my Banjarese roots..its culture and language...and my Malaysian brothers accept me as I am. So , to my Indonesian readers,,is there truly anything wrong with that? If anything , it reflects the wide and farflung Indonesian diaspora that contributes to portray the rich Indonesian culture to the rest of the world , but who have made it their home in their birthplace. Indonesians should instead be proud of the fact that their culture is still proudly maintained by their brothers , in Malaysia , as an example. Pardon me for saying this , but I cannot help but notice that this "feeling of superiority " exists mainly in Indonesians of Javanese stock...this is probably due to the historical baggage of "Ganyang Malaysia " by Bung Karno... So , notwithstanding the fact that there are ignorant Malaysians , as much as there are many more ignorant Indonesians , since your population is ten times bigger probably ,the important thing is ..be rationale..and please get rid of the sense of insecurity. As an article in your newspaper said before , most Malaysians are too busy working to waste our time burning the flags of others ,or coming up with threats. There are many contributions that Malaysia had given to our "big brother"..unfortunately many in Indonesia choose to remain ignorant of this fact..." or is it because of this feeling of superiority " ? Instead they chose to rave and rant...over anything. Before I end...what are our Indonesian friends doing about the millions of illegal Indonesians who come to seek a better life here ? Don't forget , we also have to tolerate the numerous robberies and crime by them , our hospitals and clinics give them fair treatment ...we send them back.we give them amnesty...yet they still come back braving the seas illegally..and some die in the seas trying..something must be truly wrong there in Indonesia for their own brothers and sisters to come in droves as illegals to Malaysia to seek a better life. All said , I am proud to say that I have many broadminded Indonesian frends who maintain a cordial relationship with me. Thank you and apologies for any offense that I may have caused..sorry , but I don't have a family flag for you to burn in case you are angry. Wassalam.

a (not verified), indo — Sun, 09/06/2009 - 1:37pm
why we must hate Malaysia? no body is perfect is normal if we make mistake

Algarve Real Estate (not verified), Portugal — Sun, 09/06/2009 - 12:33pm
Do you know what fools you are making of yourselves right now in the International media? Have you seen the reports of your anger in foreign newspapers? Do you even begin to realize just how stupid, jealous, vindictive and nasty you appear to the world? When you yearn for a better life through foreign investment and aid, just remember you get much less then you could because of pathetic incidents like this. Get a mirror, take a hard look at yourselves, see the hate and ask yourselves "Where did that come from?"

Dwitania kemala (not verified), bandung — Sun, 09/06/2009 - 9:29am
in general i agree with the article. i think we should not hate malaysia. nevertheless, indonesia and malaysia are from the same root that it is possible that malaysia and indonesia have almost the same cultures. and also we do not blame malaysia for claiming indonesia culture as their culture, in fact indonesian people themeselves do not respect their own cultures.

Khairil (not verified), Malaysia — Sun, 09/06/2009 - 12:45am
I stumble on this article from google and wish to correct one facts which i clearly wrong. The writer, mention about "ongoing battle between Indonesia and Malaysia", and sadly, there were never a "battle". I come to know about all of this "issue" from a blog, mentioning how Indonesian on fury over this issue. That's about it. I've never heard anybody talk about it, or even bother about it, or even want to know about it, or even want to talk about it. We, Malaysian, simply don't care about all of this "meaningless issue". Plus, "tarian pendet", WTF is it? we never even knew about this "tarian pendet" nor we bother about it. There a lot of other issue to be discussed, i.e. how to developed our nation, economic crisis, global warming, fight against corruption, helping the poor, etc... "tarian pendet"? WTF, it just a laugh...