JP/R. Berto Wedhatama

The Indonesian government has said it will verify whether the Malaysian government intended to claim the Pendet dance as its own when it decided to use the popular Balinese dance in its latest tourism campaign. Minister for Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik asserted there was no reason for Malaysia to exploit the Pendet dance for any purpose without getting a permit from the Indonesian government. "I will talk directly with the Malaysian culture minister on Monday to determine the motive behind using the Pendet dance and to find out who made the ads," Jero said in a TV interview.

"The entire world knows the Pendet dance belongs to Bali; so Malaysia has to get a permit from Indonesia before using it." He said Malaysia's tourism ads "Visit Malaysia Year" that used the Pendet dance were aired on the Discovery Channel. "I will also track down whose project it is and find out if it is funded by a private company or the Malaysian government," he said.

A spokesman from the foreign ministry, Teuku Faizasyah, said his office would also clarify the case with the Malaysian government. "But it is very unlikely Malaysia wants to claim it, as the dance is very popular in Bali," he told the Post.

Your comments:
Honestly, I haven't seen the campaign ads yet, I'd love to have the chance to watch them! But, I believe if, for example, we promote a company, we need to showcase what our company does, not what other companies do; in my opinion, the same goes for tourism promotion.

Second, I am neither a culture expert nor an anthropologist, but I doubt there is a similar dance like the Pendet dance in Malaysia (and yes, there are plenty of welcoming dances all over the world, each unique in their own way) because Malaysia had claimed a dance similar to a Kalimantan (Dayak) dance, we would understand, as Malaysia is on the same island of Borneo.

However, please note, there has been a history of tense relationships between the peoples of Kalimantan and Bali for hundreds of years, so I doubt there is dance similar to the Pendet dance in Malaysia.

Resika
Melbourne

Can someone please show me where the so-called Pendet dance is in the "Visit Malaysia" campaign video? Second, Malaysia has never "claimed" the Reog dance, angklung or other art forms as theirs. Malaysia simply states these are "found" or "exist" in Malaysia because of the diverse nature of the population, especially as people of Javanese descent are found throughout the country.

Malaysia cannot stop them nurturing their cultural heritage. Indonesians should remember that long before this region was carved up by colonial powers, we shared the same roots, language and culture. It was only after World War II that the political entities of Malaysia and Indonesia were formed.

As for the Pendet dance, I doubt Malaysia would even know of it, because it is truly Balinese. If there are similarities with some indigenous Malaysian dance, it may be known by some other name or performed for some other function. For that, Indonesia has no cause to protest. Please study the case before jumping to conclusions and branding Malaysians as thieves. We have pride too and we do things by the book.

Helmi Halim
Kuala Lumpur

Helmi Halim, the advertisement was to promote Malaysia was aired on the Discovery channel. Give credit where credit is due. The people of Bali (an island far from the Malaysia) created the Pendet and it is a part of their heritage.

In fact, we Indonesians can track our entire cultural heritage (the wayang, the Reog dance) to a specific region in Indonesia, showing that the culture had been developed by the indigenous people there.

Saying it is Malaysian culture is a gross misrepresentation. I especially liked the Malaysian government's explanation, saying the ad was made by a private company not the government. I assumed that an advertisement about Malaysia was government-funded, so shouldn't it be approved by them?

Lyana
Jakarta

I think this should be a challenge for Indonesia's Cultural and Tourism Ministry to be more creative and develop an attractive marketing campaign. Our country has too many cultural arts that are sometimes ignored because of the heady rush to modernize. If Indonesian people themselves cannot respect their cultural inheritance by preserving it then it is obvious others can so easily take it away.

Instead of name-calling or fighting over the nationalism issue, we should take more proactive steps to claim what is ours without provoking tension between the two countries. Indonesia, you can do better!

Lingga
Bandung

No matter what type of advertisements they run to promote Malaysia, I'll skip visiting the country as I don't want to risk my wife being arrested/caned for having a glass of wine with me at dinner.

Vanu
Jakarta

It is pathetic to claim the Pendet dance as being Malaysian culture, even the word "pendet" itself is unknown to Malays. There is no word "pendet" mentioned in the official Malaysian Kamus Dewan issued in 1970. While in Bali, people have been dancing it for centuries.

T. Bustamam
Jakarta

Sending a letter to the Malaysian government is not enough! Stop playing the good guy, Indonesia! We should have learned from previous experience (protests about the Reog Ponorogo and angklung).

In its arrogance, Malaysian government will keep denying its actions. Deal directly with an international organization, send a letter and, if possible, a signed petition, to the UNICEF about the issue. I am sure the Indonesian Ministries of Education and Culture and Tourism are the proper organizations to send such a letter.

A petition could be signed by Indonesian cultural organizations around the world. I have seen these organizations in many countries and I am sure they can be found everywhere around the world, as we preserve our culture as part of our daily life.

I am an Indonesian teacher who also works as an Indonesian dance instructor in Melbourne. Dancing is in my blood. With its latest act of claiming Pendet as part of Malaysian culture, I will continue to keep Malaysia on my blacklist.

Maria Ulfa
Melbourne

No excuses. No more talking this time. It doesn't matter who made the ad. It has been aired on the Discovery channel and must have been screened by Malaysian officials (from the Ministry of Tourism).

I presume there is no Ministry of Culture in Malaysia, since it has no culture of its own.

Next time they'll claim Bali Island as part of Malaysia. Sukarno was right; Malaysia should have been annexed a long time ago. Malaysia is part of Indonesia! It belongs to Indonesia!

Putranto Sangkoyo
Jakarta

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