Comments: ‘Tortor’ furor a ‘misunderstanding’

June 18, online

An official from the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said Monday that news stating that the neighboring country would include a North Sumatran traditional dance and musical instrument as part of its own national heritage was “a misunderstanding”.

The embassy’s head of information, social and cultural affairs, Suryana Sastradiredja, said in Kuala Lumpur that his office had contacted Malaysia’s Information, Communications and Culture Ministry to clarify the statement.

According to him, the Malaysian officials had denied the accusation that their government had decided to claim North Sumatra’s traditional Tortor dance and musical instrument, the gondang sambilan (nine drums), as being Malaysian.

Your comment:

Before the countries of Indonesia and Malaysia were formed, the region was inhabited by Melayu people, so the traditions and culture should be acknowledged by both of these nations.
Baz Act

Sorry, but your information is wrong. The Melayu people originated from North Sumatra, as did the language.

The tortor dance is not Melayu, but comes from the Batak Toba people who are far from being anything Malaysian!
James

Let us not speak like fools, incapable of having intellectual understanding of historical facts.
Benjamin Ismail