The dramatic escape of teen model Manohara Odelia Pinot from her allegedly abusive husband, Kelantan prince Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra, and the "intrusion" of a Malaysian warship into the disputed territorial waters of Ambalat are two issues that have renewed outrage among Indonesians.
However, political scientist and historian Farish A Noor does not believe that the row would significantly affect ties between Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.
According to him, the row is not likely to go beyond Indonesia’s domestic politics.
Indonesia is undergoing a heated month-long campaign for the July 8 presidential election and candidates are pressured to comment on the row.
Farish, who is senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), said the row has been hijacked by "right-wing hyper-patriotic" groups in Indonesia.
He cited the example of Laska Merah Putih (Red White Army) welcoming Manohara back when she landed in Jakarta following her dramatic escaped from her royal husband a fortnight ago.
Palpable anger over controversy
"Laska Merah Putih is a pseudo-militia right-wing group that is similar to the Pemuda Pancasila during Suharto’s era," he said, stressing that the latter was a far-right nationalist group.
"These groups voluntarily take up these issues, while some are paid by political parties to do so," he said.
On Wednesday, non-government organisation Migrant Care held a rally in front of the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta to "protest Malaysia's negative actions against Indonesians".
This was followed by another rally in the afternoon by the Laska Merah Putih over the Ambalat ‘intrusion. Manohara made a surprise appearance at the demonstration and spoke at the protest. (right)
A journalist based in Indonesia conceded that there is palpable anger over the issue but added that the media have sensationalised the Manohara controversy to gain readership.
"There is the media's view and there is the average person's view. The media's view does not necessarily represent our view," he said, adding that the issue will eventually died down.
Need to change negative perception
According to Farish, the Indonesians’ perception of Malaysia is "ambiguous" because many of them find employment here but at the same time they read reports of ill-treatment of foreign workers.
This have resulted in them thinking that Malaysians are “racists” and and that they “look down on Indonesians”.
He said that tens of thousands of Indonesians who work in Malaysia have also related their unpleasant experiences to their kin back home.
Issues such as Manohara and Ambalat will continue to stoke emotions if the underlying problems are not solved.
Farish believed that Malaysians should work at changing the negative perception of Malaysia amongst Indonesians by ensuring that foreign workers are not exploited.
Malaysiakini
12/06/09
However, political scientist and historian Farish A Noor does not believe that the row would significantly affect ties between Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.
According to him, the row is not likely to go beyond Indonesia’s domestic politics.
Indonesia is undergoing a heated month-long campaign for the July 8 presidential election and candidates are pressured to comment on the row.
Farish, who is senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), said the row has been hijacked by "right-wing hyper-patriotic" groups in Indonesia.
He cited the example of Laska Merah Putih (Red White Army) welcoming Manohara back when she landed in Jakarta following her dramatic escaped from her royal husband a fortnight ago.
Palpable anger over controversy
"Laska Merah Putih is a pseudo-militia right-wing group that is similar to the Pemuda Pancasila during Suharto’s era," he said, stressing that the latter was a far-right nationalist group.
"These groups voluntarily take up these issues, while some are paid by political parties to do so," he said.
On Wednesday, non-government organisation Migrant Care held a rally in front of the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta to "protest Malaysia's negative actions against Indonesians".
This was followed by another rally in the afternoon by the Laska Merah Putih over the Ambalat ‘intrusion. Manohara made a surprise appearance at the demonstration and spoke at the protest. (right)
A journalist based in Indonesia conceded that there is palpable anger over the issue but added that the media have sensationalised the Manohara controversy to gain readership.
"There is the media's view and there is the average person's view. The media's view does not necessarily represent our view," he said, adding that the issue will eventually died down.
Need to change negative perception
According to Farish, the Indonesians’ perception of Malaysia is "ambiguous" because many of them find employment here but at the same time they read reports of ill-treatment of foreign workers.
This have resulted in them thinking that Malaysians are “racists” and and that they “look down on Indonesians”.
He said that tens of thousands of Indonesians who work in Malaysia have also related their unpleasant experiences to their kin back home.
Issues such as Manohara and Ambalat will continue to stoke emotions if the underlying problems are not solved.
Farish believed that Malaysians should work at changing the negative perception of Malaysia amongst Indonesians by ensuring that foreign workers are not exploited.
Malaysiakini
12/06/09
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