Stop provoking the people, Foreign Ministry tells media
Ary Hermawan , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 09/02/2009 12:38 PM | World
At the forefront of Indonesian diplomacy, the Foreign Ministry said it was wary of the mounting anti-Malaysian sentiment among Indonesians, which it said was mostly triggered by unverified media reports.
These outbursts of anger against Indonesia’s neighbor come at a time when ASEAN countries are seeking to build a united ASEAN community by 2015. Both Indonesia and Malaysia are founding members of the 10-member regional organization.
A group of angry students hurled rotten eggs at the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta on Tuesday after failing to seal it in a protest over what they said was Kuala Lumpur’s repeated claims to Indonesian culture. The students then threw their tantrum in front of the foreign ministry’s office.
Meanwhile in Yogyakarta, dozens of students of the prestigious Gadjah Mada University rallied to demand university management stop accepting Malaysians to the school, a policy which has already been enacted by the University of Diponegoro in Semarang.
“I am sorry to say this but the media plays a part [in escalating these sentiments]. I see that the media keep repeating stories which have not been verified. Take for example the case of a video showing the abuse of Indonesian migrant workers by a Malaysian policeman. It turned out the abused was actually a Malaysian,” ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah said.
He said his ministry had talked with the Ministry of Communication and Informatics about the issue, but he was quick to add the government valued the freedom of the press.
“But we need to remind the media to be more responsible in their coverage. They should not publish stories that will only incite narrow-minded nationalism, which leads to unwarranted reactions from the people.”
Indonesia recently accused Malaysia of claiming the traditional Balinese Pendet dance as its own because, it was believed, Kuala Lumpur used it in an official tourism commercial.
The “tourism” ad was a promotional clip for a series of documentaries on Malaysia being screened on the Discovery Channel.
The ongoing tit for tat between the neighboring countries, online and offline, however, continues, as the media seem to be able to find other controversies to keep the flame burning.
While netizens of both nations were squabbling on Youtube over the originality of their national anthems, the Indonesian media reported that Malaysia, again, had allegedly claimed an island called Pulau Jemur, in Riau, as its tourism destination, another case that will fuel the feud.
Deputy chairman of the Indonesian Press Council Leo Batubara said the media should not be blamed for the rising tension between Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.
“I think the media coverage on Indonesia-Malaysia issues has so far been proportional and responsible,” he said.
The government, he added, should instead be able to make use of media reports in forming its foreign policies toward Malaysia.
The Malaysian government however has long blamed the Indonesian media for its disproportionate coverage of stories ranging from the Ambalat dispute to the alleged abuse of an Indonesian model.
Faizasyah said the ministry continued to coordinate with the police to ensure the security of foreigners, including Malaysian citizens, in Indonesia, and again called on the people of both nations to show restraint.
“After all, this is the holy month, which is a good time to learn to be more restrained,” he said.
