KUALA LUMPUR: The dancers moved smoothly left to right, in rhythm to the music in Malaysia's fabled Central Market. Adorned in different traditional clothes, the performers represented the gamut of Malaysian culture.
But Indonesia says that culture is often being stolen from their country and represented by Malaysia as their own.
The criticism comes as North Sumatra's Tortor dance and the Gordang Sambilan drums will be added to the Malaysian National Heritage Law, according to Minister of Information, Communications and Culture Rais Yatim.
The two countries are known to have a history of political, economic, and cultural friction.
Indonesians took to Twitter and YouTube to react to the news, and some politicians are asking Malaysia for an explanation.
But Malaysia cultural expert and anthropologist Marit Hassan told Bikyamasr.com that “this cultural discussion is really quite funny, because historically both societies were ostensibly the same and similar depending on geographical location.
“And Sumatra was less than 200 years ago part of Malaysia, so this is a very strange attack from Indonesians,” he added.
Yet, Indonesians disagree and took to social networking sites in attack mode. They have also used the hashtag #TorTorPunyaIndonesia, which means the “Tortor dance belongs to Indonesia.”
Indonesian politician Ruhut Sitompul called for a more aggressive policy towards Malaysia to defend its cultural legacy. He was quoted in the Jakarta Globe saying, “Once in a while, I think it's necessary that we bomb [Malaysia] as a form of shock therapy. Otherwise they will keep oppressing us. There's no need for diplomacy – they always find excuses.”
The battle, online and on the dance floor, is unlikely to see an end in the near future. Malaysia and Indonesia have long battled over culture and this is just the most recent fight between the two neighbors.