Rasa Sayang

Apparently, the Malaysian Tourism Board is using the song 'Rasa Sayang' as their theme song for Malaysia's 50th anniversary celebrations under the 'Rasa Sayang' campaign. It, in turn, has led to an outburst of protest and even online petitions by Indonesian politicans and ordinary citizens. (Yeah, it is being circulated on the Internet) Furthermore, it is claimed that much of Indonesia's cultural heritage is slowly but surely being claimed by other countries (batik, wayang kulit and many others).

However, the issue is whether these cultural forms can be patented to a specific country. More importantly, what is the basis of such claims ? How will Indonesia prove that the origins of these cultural forms ? Not easy to say that 'Rasa Sayang' is 100% Indonesian (or from Maluku). Yet, if viewed in the larger framework of cultural tourism, such an action or the threat of it appears to be more logical especially with the tourist dollar at stake.

At the end of the day, there are probably more similarities than differences between the two countries. And with all the diplomatic disputes (the wife of the RI Ambassdor mistaken as an illegal immigrant) threatening to spill over, this holiday period may be a good time for both sides to take a step back and reflect.