KUALA LUMPUR: The battle for cultural identity continues between Malaysia and Indonesia, with online activists blasting the Malaysian government over its claims to what they believe is a uniquely Indonesian cultural trait. Online activists in Indonesia lashed out at Malaysia over the weekend, claiming their neighbor is “deprived of culture.” Twitter hashtags including “#tortorpunyaindonesia (Tor-tor belongs to Indonesia)” and “#MalaysiaMiskinBudaya (Malaysia is poor in culture)” were trending among Indonesian users of the micro-blogging site after the issue came to a head the past week. AsiaOne.com reported a number of tweets from activists and concerned citizens: “Semiskin itukah Malaysia sampai mengklaim kebudayaan kita?? #TorTorPunyaIndonesia (Is Malaysia that poor that they have to claim our culture?)” read a tweet by @Anak_Twitter. User @ranyaani said: “Tor tor has been indonesia's for centuries, so dont you just claim that its yours.. #taritortormilikindonesia.” A tweet by @Shafwan_MZIFC read: “Banyaknya Budaya & Makanan yg diKlaim Negara malaysia menunjukan betapa Kayanya Indonesia (Malaysia has claimed so many of our culture and food, it shows how rich Indonesia is).” Some extreme comments include a tweet by @ANTI_MALAYSIA4 which read “ayo kita bersatu ganyang malaysia (Let's unite and crush Malaysia).” On Friday, Indonesian activists, angry at Malaysia attacked a cultural center in Jakarta over the matter. At Malaysia Hall on Friday, they attacked a security personnel who sustained slight injuries, threw large stones and pieces of wood which shattered the warden's windows, apart from damaging the main gate and messing up the windows by hurling eggs. The stones thrown by the rioters also damaged the front roof of Malaysia Hall. Last week, controversy was sparked when Malaysia wanted to list certain aspects of what it said are its culture, which angered Indonesia, who said 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. 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.
