FOR the longest time, citizens from Malaysia and Indonesia have been arguing over which country could claim to be where batik originated or where rendang was first made. At one time even popular song Rasa Sayang became a point of contention.
But the tone of this friendly rivalry shifted in the past week. Instead, there has been an outpouring of support from ordinary Malaysians for delivery riders in Indonesia.
The tragic death of Affan Kurniawan, a 21-year-old e-hailing motorbike rider in Jakarta grabbed the world’s attention. He was killed after being run over by a police vehicle amid clashes with demonstrators, who have been protesting since Aug 25 against excessive pay and housing allowances for Indonesian parliamentarians.
Shocking footage of the Aug 28 incident was uploaded on social media within hours, sparking anger nationwide. Protesters targeted and looted the houses of several MPs. Most of the ugly scenes of the mob acting out its rage were captured and uploaded online – there seemed to be no censorship.
Amid the chaos in Indonesia, some Malaysians began encouraging fellow citizens to use their Grab application to order food to be delivered to those affected by the protests in Indonesia. All they needed to do was to change the location settings in the Grab app. This caught the attention of people in the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, who began doing the same thing.
Who would have thought an app would unify people in different countries in acts of kindness and solidarity!
This has never happened before as far as I know.
We don’t need politicians to tell us what to do. It is very heartening, the kind of Asean solidarity that must be encouraged and boosted.
It is not how governments in the region have been trying to raise awareness of Asean togetherness all these years – it’s better because it’s a spontaneous demonstration of the sense of connected humanity that the people of Asean have for each other.
My social media feed has been full of videos of Indonesian ojols, the term used for Indonesian delivery riders, thanking Malaysians and sharing their meals and drinks with other Indonesians.
Malaysians travelling to Indonesia last week for work or holiday, kept fellow citizens informed of the situation once they had arrived at their destinations.
Protests are a common sight in Indonesia and are largely peaceful. But this time has been different. Many media outlets are reporting that it is the worst violence in recent years, with government facilities torched and riot police clashing with protesters in several cities.
There have been allegations of agent provocateurs stoking violence. President Prabowo Subianto hinted at “elements who always want unrest and chaos”, telling Indonesians to be alert to the interference of groups who do not want Indonesia to prosper.
The situation has returned to normal but the authorities remain on high alert.
Prabowo, who at first cancelled a trip to China, decided to join other world leaders in Beijing for China’s Victory Day Parade on Wednesday. That the Indonesian leader left for a quick trip abroad showed that he was confident that everything was under control back home.
Reuters reported one of seven detained police officers from the vehicle that ran over the motorcycle driver, was “dishonourably” fired after an ethics hearing due to “unprofessionalism”. With protesters demanding wide accountability, the fate of the other six officers is yet to be determined.
Why do people protest? Generally they are unhappy with the government and it can be over any issue, including economic hardships, job security, and unfulfilled reform promises.
In Indonesia’s case, this time some politicians made statements that people thought showed arrogance and a lack of empathy. They were insensitive to the struggle of the common people, some said.
“Because they are not happy, they want change but not necessarily to change the government. The call to dissolve Parliament and change the government is just to dramatise things,” said an observer.
What has happened in Indo-nesia is a reminder to our leaders that it could happen here too. The interest of the people should be taken care of.
Every country has its own problems and each government has its own way of handling internal issues. We should not make comparisons, claiming we are better than others and looking down on people of other countries.
Malaysia and Indonesia have had ups and down in relations, and both governments continue to find ways to manage ties. In fact, government to government relations right now are excellent.
A few months ago, Indonesia’s ambassador to Malaysia Hermono (who goes by a single name) said that there were issues that often triggered friction among the people of both countries – mistreatment of Indo-nesian migrant workers, border disputes, and squabbles over shared cultural heritage.
There’s no denying that.
We have to admit that some of us Malaysians have the tendency to view Indonesians mainly as maids and labourers. Many of us ignore the fact that there are many middle income earners, a wealthy class, and of course, the ultra rich Indonesians. We need to avoid stereotyping Indonesians and change our general perception of them.
Tourism data shows that Indonesia is the second largest tourist market for Malaysia, with a record of 4.1 million visitors in 2024, compared with 3.4 million in 2023.
“I think some of us look down on people from migrant-sending countries. There is this sense that all the people are ‘below’ us – that mentality needs to change,” said an observer.
Indonesians too are more aware of issues challenging Malaysia, and if there are allegations about this country, some Indonesians take it upon themselves to correct the negative perception.
So let us enjoy for now this camaraderie, brotherhood, and current overflowing good feeling that resulted from people helping people.
For how long? Only time will tell. Some of us are raring to “fight” again.
As some social media users are saying, “Lekas sembuh Indonesia, tak sabar nak gaduh claim rendang dan batik lagi! (Get well soon, Indonesia, can’t wait to argue over rendang and batik claims again)”.
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