Strong cultural heritage binds Indonesia and Malaysia

By Zainal Arifin

KUALA LUMPUR (JP): In the Malay archipelago lie two nations that, despite contemporary divergence, share deep cultural heritage. Their consanguineous existence transcends geographical separation, internal rifts, and reels of European interventions.

From the Majapahit Empire in the 13th to 16th centuries and the origins of the sultanate of Malacca during the Malay dynasty of the same period, traces of shared origins between Malaysia and Indonesia permeate. The decline of the Majapahit empire and the fall of Malacca to the Portuguese in the early 16th century spelled the beginning of the social division between Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula.

From then on, the division has only got larger. Contemporarily divided and shaped by experiences from different European colonial rulers, the shared heritage that binds Indonesia and Malaysia still runs deep. Amid the stark differences in present- day political ideologies and demographic patterns and a few rifts, the historical and cultural heritage rooted in the Malay language, Malay ethnicity, Islam, and traditions to a certain great extent remains parallel in both nations.

Current divergence between Indonesia and Malaysia in sociopolitical and socioeconomic paths however often overshadow the similitude in the two Southeast Asian countries. Contemporary history reveals that the present divergence was preceded by an initial interdependence of the two nations. The intimacy between the two nations is indeed marked by interdependence.

Indonesia's earlier independence in 1945 gave it a head start in many development efforts. Twelve years later, its young neighbor, just emerging from colonial Malaya, turned to Indonesia for assistance in many of its development efforts, particularly in the area of education.

In 1959, in view of the growing importance of the Malay language which would be the language of instruction in schools and later in higher learning institutions, the Malayan authorities realized the urgent need for the Malay language to be recognized and accepted as a national language.

The authorities sought the expertise of Indonesian scholars and linguists, whose linguistics development efforts had already raised Bahasa Indonesia to a different level to that of Bahasa Melayu. As a result Malaysia-Indonesia cooperation was initiated by the language program known as Penyamaan Ejaan, which had the central objective of standardize the spelling system of Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Melayu.

The Penyamaan Ejaan program would later open up a wider circulation for Malaysian Malay publication in Indonesia, although this was able to take place only in the 1980s, almost over two decades after the first delegation to Indonesia on Penyamaan Ejaan in 1959. Hence not only did the program uplift Bahasa Melayu, it also later widened the readership of Malay publication from Malaysia.

In early independence, Malaya was confronted with insufficient literary works in Bahasa Melayu that could help signify and justify the preparedness of the language to function as a national language. Indonesian publications, which by then had already boasted literary works of such writers as Hamka and Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana, was referred to and circulated widely in Malaya. It was also for the superior language and literary development in Indonesia that in the early stages, many Malaysians were encouraged to take up Malay literature studies or Persuratan in Indonesia.

In fact, the influence of Indonesian literature on the peninsula Malay society has a far-reaching effect, although this effect has largely remained obscured. Indonesian newspapers, journals and magazines which were then in abundance in Malaya inspired the Malays. Through this, the seeds of Malay nationalism were sown and culminated into the anti-colonialism movement.

Another significant assistance offered by the then more sophisticated Indonesian education programs in the early 1960s was for the establishment of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 1971. Bahasa Malaysia was promulgated as the language of instruction in higher education institutions beginning with UKM.

Indonesia had at that time a pool of manpower with qualifications at the master's and doctorate levels, which Malaysia then lacked, to implement the establishment of UKM. Many faculties at UKM then relied on the manpower brought in from Indonesia. The medical faculty in particular had a large number of teaching staff from Indonesia. This was especially crucial as Bahasa Indonesia then had already been established with medical and scientific terminology.

During this same period, a number of students from Malaya began to pursue education in sciences and medicine in Indonesian universities. This persists until today albeit in a smaller number. Islamic education in Malaysia also benefited from the Indonesian initial superiority in its education system. Many scholars received Islamic studies qualifications from Indonesian universities. A number of Malaysian scholars pursuing degrees in Islamic studies in Indonesia continues. So does the number of Malaysian scholars studying in top Indonesian universities in arts and social sciences.

Today, Indonesia and Malaysia still cooperate in all kinds of ventures. However, current cooperation, in education at least, evokes an irony. If previous educational cooperation was marked by Malaysia's recipient role and Indonesia as the provider, the present situation, in many cases, is the reverse.

There are now far more Indonesian students studying in Malaysian local public and private higher education institutions then there are Malaysians in Indonesian universities. While there are approximately 2,000 Malaysians studying degree courses in Indonesia, there are about 6,000 Indonesian students studying in Malaysian higher education institutions. Of the 6,000 students, 5,000 students are enrolled in Malaysian private colleges pursuing first degree courses in economics, hotel and catering, design and graphics, and computer or multimedia. Those in Malaysian public universities are mostly enrolled in post- graduate programs. At a higher level, through the Penataran Ilmu program, lecturers from Indonesian universities go through a skill upgrading program in Malaysian educational institutions.

In post and early independent eras, the Malayan government sought Indonesian expertise to develop many of its educational programs. Now Malaysia and Indonesia are partners in many educational programs. Malaysian universities and Indonesian universities now jointly offer transfer-of-credit programs allowing students from either country to study in both countries for a degree.

For the development of Bahasa Malaysia for education, Malaysia now partners with Indonesia and Brunei in developing the language for various emerging new areas. It is apparent that there exists a role reversal in the relationship. Indonesia has shifted its role from that of a "tutor", at least in the area of education, to that of a partner turning to Malaysia to learn in some respects. A similar trend pervades in other areas that are beyond the scope of this article.

The role reversal in the relationship of the two nations has gradually unfolded over a span of nearly six decades. This phenomenon is symbolic of the speed with which Malaysia has progressed with respect to its neighbor. The present situation can be again reversed, of course. Time informs. There is a lesson to be drawn. Malaysia must not be nonchalant to deny even a shadow of relegation. Indonesia is not complacent with its present situation, undoubtedly, and is working to progress. This spirit leads to healthy competition.

Alongside this competition, intensified co-operation between the two countries should be considered. This may ensure the leaders of future generations in the two countries remain appreciative of the shared cultural heritage and the consanguinity. With enlightened leaders from the two countries united, the two nations can, once again, bring out the formidable force of the Malay Archipelago, like that of the once much envied Majapahit Empire and the Sultanate of Malacca.

The writer is the education and cultural attache at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur.