Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - A government minister Friday urged Indonesia to drop its claim of ownership over a Malay folk song used in Malaysia‘s tourism campaign and focus instead on boosting bilateral ties.
The Indonesians have accused Malaysia of stealing the song "Rasa Sayang," or "Feeling of Love," from them and are considering suing. Kuala Lumpur has rejected the allegations, which could spark a diplomatic row between the two neighbors.
Malaysian Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Rais Yatim warned that Jakarta‘s plan to sue for copyright was immature and would setback bilateral ties.
The song has its roots in the Malay archipelago which includes Indonesia, Malaysia, southern Thailand and Brunei, and is also sung by people in southern Africa and Sri Lanka, Rais told reporters.
"It is a backward move (to sue). Indonesia should have instead encouraged Rasa Sayang to be made the song of harmony for the Malay archipelago," he said. "We want to see what laws will be used by Indonesia to claim copyright. Any legal action will fail because there is no proof (that the song belongs to them)."
Rais said he was prepared to meet Indonesian officials to resolve the issue.
"There are many other important bilateral issues that we should focus on," he said. "It is unfortunate for this thing to come up. I hope it would be eased through the diplomatic channel and through a better Ramadan reasoning."
The row has occurred during the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
The two countries share Islam as their main religion and have close cultural links with similar national languages. But they also have a history of testy relations that are regularly fanned by nationalist politicians in Indonesia, often for domestic political reasons.
Indonesian Tourism and Cultural Minister Jero Wacik on Wednesday said he was investigating whether Jakarta could claim copyright and had scheduled a meeting with legislators.
Indonesian House of Representatives member Hakam Naja has said Jakarta should consider action against Malaysia for using Rasa Sayang in a tourism campaign to mark the country‘s 50th anniversary currently running on radio, television and online.
Hakam has also accused Malaysia of claiming ownership of traditional Indonesian heritage such as batik art using dye fabrics and the shadow puppet theater, the report added.
Source: www.iht.com (8 Oktober 2007)