[Ridwan]

Originally Posted by monster

Alright, I couldn't ignore my curiosity any longer:

Is there something going on between Indonesians and Malaysians in general (not necessarily between members of this forum), maybe even historically, that would make you ask this question?

It seems unlikely that the question would just come up to you out of nowhere.

Originally Posted by Azuma Denton

Indonesia and Malaysia often engage in island and cultural dispute.
The earliest one is Ganyang Malaysia movement around 1960s.
After that, there are several confrontation that includes Ambalat island, "Rasa sayang-sayange" song, Batik dispute, and many more.
You can ask more detail to our history master, Ridwan.

We were originally fairly intimate with Malayan Union before Cold War geopolitics started screwing things. Thing is, Indonesia in early years was pretty turbulent and prone to swinging back and forth between eastern and western bloc during the '50s, but eventually settled with the former after Civil War, in which the west was limitedly involved in favor of the rebels. So there was mutual paranoia between Indonesia and the western bloc as the result, and Malaysia, which was formed by joining Malaya and the surrounding British holdings, was essentially a product of that.

The relations between two countries was normalized after Suharto took over Indonesia presidency, but the animosity remains, which has been useful lately for both countries to distract their people from more pressing domestic concerns.

Originally Posted by DonQuigleone

I'm pretty sure that prior to independence, the primary language of Indonesia was called Malay too.

Likewise, if the British had owned Sumatra, it would have ended up in Malaysia.

Indonesian Malay is pretty mongrelized though.

Sumatra would be rather hard to control from Malaya. Historically, it has always been Malayan Peninsula under Sumatran domination.

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

1) It is slightly more complicated than that, in a way that is largely unrelated to colonial power arrangements. Among other constitutional definitions, a Malay in Malaysia must also be Muslim. Yes, as far as Kuala Lumpur is concerned, a Malay must be Muslim. One cannot renounce Islam and still remain Malay. Doing so makes you an apostate, and that's a serious matter that will be brought before the Syriah court.

2) Many Singaporeans, who are mostly Chinese in ethnicity, are often confused about this. When they see Malay-looking Indonesians eating pork, they wonder what's going on. They don't realise that a good number of Indonesians are actually Christian or Hindu. For these Indonesians, pork is not haram.

3) In this regard, I'm sad to say that many Singaporeans are woefully ignorant of history and geography. (Try asking a Singaporean to name the states of Malaysia, our immediate neighbour. I'm ready to bet that most will not be able to identify all 13, let alone place them on the map.)

1) I'll blame the British.

2) There are not so few of Indonesian muslims who don't observe pork ban.

3) Ignorance transcends national boundaries.

Originally Posted by RRW

We are coexist just like Korea & Japan

It's not that bad. At least it hasn't infiltrated schools... well not since '60s anyway.

Originally Posted by MUAHAHAHAHAHA

If you say that to another Chinese apart from me in Malaysia, he or she may be offended, since Malay and Chinese are two different ethnic groups, and lumping them together means that the distinctive culture of the two groups is ignored, which may lead to a sense of loss of identity. While one might say that it doesn't matter, and that in the end Malay, Chinese, Indians and indigenous tribes are Malaysians, us Malaysians still prefer not to be assimilated into one giant group, which is why the issue of race is a sensitive one here, cause there have been cases when the Muslims try to force their law upon non-Muslims.

The basis for Malaysian identity is, to be honest, a rather unhealthy one. It's still better then Israel however, in the sense that they don't enforce it with military repression.