Don't Call Us 'Indons'
by Farah 'Fairy' Mahdzan (6-Mar-2005) | Readers Say

"Why do you Malaysians call us 'Indons?'"

A young woman named Lisa once asked me. There was a deafening silence that followed; pressure mounted as 15 more pairs of Indonesian eyes and ears fixated on me for my rhetoric answer. Ironically, this is not the first time I had been asked this nagging question.

I paused for a minute before mustering my thoughts together to convey them as cohesively as I could. I started explaining to my Indonesian friends in the room that day that the term 'Indon' is used by countless Malaysians to refer to Indonesians partly because it is shorter to say 'Indon' than it is to say 'Indonesian' or 'Indonesia.' In addition, the local media uses the word liberally in news headlines; this alone is a strong contributing factor to the perpetuation of the word. As far as I knew, we do not intentionally mean any type of discrimination or offense by the usage of the word.

In reality however, most educated Indonesians would regard the term 'Indon' as degrading and insulting. 'Indon' has been considered by some to be as racist of a term as 'Chokin' (referring to Indonesian Chinese) or the very crude 'nigger' (African-Americans). The worse part is we as Malaysians are not always aware that the term 'Indon' reeks of derogatory. This, unfortunately for us, translates as ignorance.

So why would Indonesians react so unfavorably about a word that is merely a truncation of the original word? If you can offhandedly call Malaysians "Malays", or Australians as "Aussies," couldn't you call an Indonesian "Indon?" To reach a fair answer, it is perhaps helpful to examine the Indonesian stereotypes of which we are accustomed to.

In countries like Malaysia and Singapore, we have developed this contrived view that most Indonesian workers who enter our borders are coming in to work in blue-collared fields. To a certain degree this is true; most of today's house help and construction workers are made up of people from our neighboring country. As such we have always, for some unfathomable reason, somehow referred to this group of hardworking folks as "Indons."

In relation to this, our perception of "Indons" is further mutilated when our media highlights social ills conducted by some of these immigrant workers, splashing such titles across the newspapers as "Indon woman jailed for abducting baby" (The Star, 3 November 2004, p.6) and "Indon man charged with murder of good Samaritan" (The Star, 25 July 2004, p.1).

We can to a certain extent agree that the word "Indon" is synonymous with the Indonesians who are from the lower rungs of the social ladder. Therefore to be referred to as "Indons" is not only grammatically incorrect as no such word exists in any dictionary; it is also offensive because it is an implication of lower social, economical and educational statuses.

Indonesian writer Nasrullah Ali-Fauzi had once addressed the 'Indon' word usage issue in his article "Perkataan 'Indon'" which was published in newspapers in Malaysia and Indonesia. Apart from his analysis of the subject which was very similar to my views, Nasrul had highlighted the Kuala Lumpur Indonesian Embassy's urge to all Malaysian media to eliminate the usage of 'Indon.' Despite how trivial this 'Indon' concern sounds, the defiance against it is very real, and from higher authority no less.

But there is one other related issue I needed to have addressed; if Indonesian maids and brick layers are referred to as "Indons" in our newspapers and social circles, how are the white-collared and political Indonesians faring?

To help me answer this question, I started collecting Malaysian newspaper clippings of articles that had the word 'Indon' in the title, just to see how far we had gone in utilizing this word that so many of our Indonesian friends are miffed in hearing us use.

It is perhaps to no surprise that 'Indon' is also copiously used to describe the country's entertainers, politicians and businesses in our newspapers. Forget about social status; it is what we universally term Indonesians as!

There is plenty more where this came from!

I can understand how using the whole word 'Indonesia' might be space-consuming for some headlines. Despite the questionable headlines however, the content of the articles use the proper noun 'Indonesia' in its finer details.

To remedy the 'Indon' syndrome in news writing, Indonesian Singapore-resident Indradi Soemardjan has suggested to me that the proper abbreviation of WNI ('Warga Negara Indonesia' or Indonesian citizen) be used in referring to Indonesians.

Unfortunately such an abbreviation will not translate well in Malaysia, especially in English media. In addition we are not avid users of abbreviations like the Indonesians. The quick and dirty way out to short and concise news headlines about Indonesians remain using the cringe-worthy word 'Indon.' Both English and Malay media are perpetrators of this abuse.

To drive the point of this article home, I for one wouldn't be so jolly if non-Malaysians referred to me as a 'Mal' (just to give you an extreme example of a terribly-truncated fragment from 'Malaysia').

Whether or not you agree that 'Indon' is an objectionable term to use, it does not matter. The lesson that we need to learn is to dispose all assumptions that what we say or do will not offend others. Just because it is common practice or appears printed in black ink on our newspapers does not make it right. If a terminology is offensive to others, even if only one or two people voice their concerns, then we must cease to use it, especially in verbal communication.

Let us start by properly calling Indonesians 'Indonesians.'

Readers' Comments: 320 entries

#319	Fairy - Website	15-Jun-2008, 15:13 MYT
AHAKS: I wouldn't worry too much about arezeo. I think he's entitled to his own opinions, if he's hell bent on expressing them while quickly making enemies, then it's his prerogative. We can choose to ignore him. Why fan the flames. EF: I wouldn't be so quick to call him gay. Gay folks don't resort to such lowly forms of expression. Besides that's a really derogatory way to use the term gay. Nutcase would be more appropriate.

#318	Ef	14-Jun-2008, 13:50 MYT
ahaks, thanks for the arezeo info. I've checked it, and my impression the guy is real lunatic, ... and so gay

#317	ahaks	13-Jun-2008, 04:17 MYT
Fairy,if u aware,there is a malaysian blogger name arezeo,who loves to condemn anything about Indonesia,i feel bad about it..May be u can view his blog at arezeo.blogspot.com ..I am Malaysian too but i dont like the way he treat Indonesia,previously he started to harassed Indonesian girls at LCCT KLIA,thats really cruel...Thats guy really mad

#316	cirebonese - Website	28-Mar-2008, 16:33 MYT
to Fairy: Oh gitu yah.... kalo panggilan manja mu ke gw apaan Fai? to Potato: iya juga sih... taunya emang dari novel itu.... tapi pertama kali baca nya dah 2 tahun lalu, jadi ga baru lagi khan.... to Anne: eh... ini Anne Ahira beneran??? kumaha damang....? dulu sempet ngidolain kamu juga lho, jaman2x masih kuliah... tetep sukses deh...

#315	anne - Website	10-Mar-2008, 00:25 MYT
terima kasih.. nice post informasinya cukup mendalam

#314	potato	28-Feb-2008, 16:08 MYT
cierebonese, adakah awak ni tahu terminology andonesy di arab tu dari novel yang lagi in kat sekarang2 ni?? hix..hix..ix... betul kan?? cik fairy, awak dah baca belum novel hasil penulisan Habiburrahman El Shirazy satu ni..?? beliau merupakan novelis, sarjana Al-Azhar University Cairo.. novel ni lain dr yang lain la...best sgt2..jiwang2 ni x de laa..nama je ayat2 cinta.. hi..hi..hi sorry, jadi off to the topic

#313	Fairy	27-Feb-2008, 09:38 MYT
CIREBONESE: Well I wouldn't say Malaysians secara habitual suka memendekkan nama negara orang. Let's just say bahawa "Indon" itu adalah nama manja kita untuk Indonesia.

#312	cirebonese - Website	26-Feb-2008, 10:40 MYT
Memang betul Fairy, kata "Indon" memang terdaftar di Merriem-Webster. Tapi jika kita klik link ensiklopedi britannica di bawahnya, penggunaan Indon sebagai singkatan ga konsisten sama sekali. Kadang dalam satu artikel, misalnya di "Ragunan Zoological Gardens" kata Indon dan Indonesia muncul bersamaan. Jadi hanya dengan menghemat 4 huruf, mereka sudah merubah nama negara. Mungkin juga alasannya karena dengan menulis Indon, semua orang di dunia bisa menebak bahwa itu adalah singkatan dari Indonesia..... hmm... maybe yes maybe not.... Tapi sudahlah, memang mungkin budaya teman2x dari Malaysia menyingkat nama negara..... Termasuk menyebut negaranya M'sia. Oh ya, kalo teman2x baca novel Kang Abik yg judulnya "Ayat Ayat Cinta", di situ ditulis panggilan orang Arab Mesir kepada orang Indonesia sebagai "Andonesy"..... mungkin kalo dia lagi males manggilnya jadi Andon kali yah....

#311	batikrendangklung	25-Feb-2008, 14:54 MYT
wel wel uLtraM4n, I think what most Indonesian complaining about is not the Merriam-Webster's dictionary(I don't think that the Malaysian called us Indon after they red the Merriam-Webster's-i n fact I think that not to many Malaysian know the Merriam-Webster's dictionary), what most of Indonesian complain is "the meaning behind the words", since it has became so negative lately. **Indonesia Cinta Malaysia**

#310	Fairy	25-Feb-2008, 09:31 MYT
Well, well, whaddaya know? "Indon" is officially categorized as an entry in Merriam-Webster's dictionary and tagged as an abbreviation. With all due respect to my Indonesian friends and readers, this is one definition that I simply cannot contest against. "Indon" serves nothing more than an abbreviation, at least for most people in Malaysia.

#307	batikrendangklung	21-Feb-2008, 16:22 MYT
Hi Fairy, sekedar info saja adidas mengeluarkan produk terbaru edisi Materials of the World” Collection untuk jaket,topi dan sepatu dgn motif batik, bahan yg digunakannya pun asli dari Indonesia, yang menarik walaupun hak paten sudah menjadi milik Malaysia adidas tetap meyebutkan bahwa produk batik yang mereka produksi adalah meterial dari indonesia " Here is the Indonesia pack from the Adidas Materials of the World series. The Indonesia series includes two Metro Attitude Hi's, a tracksuit and a cap. Inspired by the very act of creating a Batik-Made fabric which has a strong symbolic meaning for the Javanese. It is said that each time the Batik craftsman executes a particular intricate pattern the design is not only fixed to the cloth, but the meaning of the design is engraved ever more deeply in the soul of the Artisan. This highly skilled process, involving complicated dyeing and dye-resist processes, is regarded highly by many Indonesians as one of the six Priyayi or "High Arts". saya sudah coba posting imagenya di blog ini tapi kok tidak bisa ya....mungkin fairy bisa bantu ** Indonesia Cinta Malaysia**

#306	Batikrendangklung	20-Feb-2008, 18:23 MYT
Sorry Fairy, saya lupa masukan nama untuk posting sebelumnya, maklum masih pemula

#305	potato	19-Feb-2008, 17:03 MYT
pakdin, adakah awak ni salah sorang peminat britney spears ke? xixixixix btw, democrazy tu ranc. baru kat metro tv la..

#304	PakDin	18-Feb-2008, 11:45 MYT
viva demokasi!!! asal jangan demo crazy. ooops I did it again!

#302	Fairy	16-Feb-2008, 22:45 MYT
SUPERGAY: Lagi datang gila apa datang bulan? batikrendangklung: Your POV is very interesting.

#301	SuperGay	15-Feb-2008, 22:21 MYT
The name of Indonesia was actually a greek and found by a dutchman. Indo ( India ) Nesos ( Islands ) which means The Islands of India.Ones just cant erase that second N from our country's name coz somehow it'll make the word has a completely new meaning. Let's give it a try. Erase that second N --- Indo Esia ( Meaning, INDO = INDIA and ESIA = ONE OF BAKRIE's TELECOM PRODUCTs ). See !! ( Pls dont call me crazy ) F.Y.I ESIA is one of Indonesia's Telecom Brand by Bakrie Telecom. Fay : Sorry Fay post gw rada2 gak nyambung, lagi dateng gila kayaknya.

#300	batikrendangklung	15-Feb-2008, 12:09 MYT
Malaysia sekarang adalah Indonesia Zaman orde baru, tidak ada kebesan berekspresi (dilarang demontrasi), kebebasn pers (tidak boleh mengungkap keburukan-keburukan yang dilakukan bangsa Malaysia sendiri), yg selalu disiarkan adalah kejayaannya saja. Undang-undang ISA sama seperti undang-undang subversif di Indonesia yg kini sudah di hapus karena kontra dengan demokarsi, so my Indonesia friend's saya rasa tidak sepantasnya kita kita terprovokosai dengan istilah2 yang disampaikan teman-teman Malaysia, serta marah apabila dibandingkan dengan kemajuan-kemajuan yang telah di capai oleh Malaysia, ingat kita sudah lama melewati masa itu, Zaman orde baru Indonesia jauh lebih berjaya dari Malaysia namun karena hanya fokus ke pembanguan dan ekonomi kita melupakan demokrasi, itupun yg sedang dialami Malaysia saat ini. sekarang Indonesia harus memulainya lagi...sulit memang tapi kita pasti bisa...ingat Indonesia adalah salah satu dari begitu banyak negara di dunia yang merebut kemerdekaannya, jadi mari kita rapatkan barisan

#299	cirebonese - Website	13-Feb-2008, 20:30 MYT
Whoa, hello my dear Ultraman, long time no see.... You're my hero when I was a child.... err... maybe after Megaloman and Masked Knight Rider.... Gini bung Ultra, bayangkanlah.... Indonesia sangat luas (setara Eropa atau AS) dengan berpuluh ribu pulau beratus suku beratus bahasa dan budaya..... Untuk bisa membuatnya bersatu bukanlah usaha yg gampang lho.... Dan pendahulu kami dulu berjuang susah payah untuk itu...... Ini keajaiban!!! Prediksi "om puteh" dulu, Indonesia ga bakal lama jadi negara, pasti bakalan kaya' Yugoslavia sekarang.... Dan dengan status "the most populous .... nation" banyak pihak yg tidak ingin negeri kami jadi kuat.... tapi sudahlah itu juga tantangan.... Negeri ini sudah banyak melewati sisi getir dan sekarang sedang merangkak untuk bisa berdiri dan berusaha untuk berlari..... En jangan cuma liat Jakarta..... it's history..... ke depannya kota2x lain terus berbenah.... silahkan lihat 20 tahun lagi.... Anyway, saya ga suka ke Dolly bung Ultra.... kita ke Genting aja yuk...... Roll the dice babe..... and bring me martini..... ups malaysian moslem not allowed..... only Indonesian moslem, Turkey moslem .... and maybe the Saudi's..... as long as you give devisa to us that's not a problem.... (Just a Joke ) to Pakdin: akur aja PakDin.... maaf ye kalo ade sale2x kate.... to Fairy: we love drama... don't we? to Laung: betul bang..... harusnya kita tuker2xan kue imlek.... setuju??

#298	Fairy	12-Feb-2008, 09:50 MYT
LAUNG: A new year dawns, yet our hearts are still sore kayanya hehe. Tak berubah seperti adik-beradik bergaduh, we seem to thrive on controversy and drama.

#297	Laung	12-Feb-2008, 02:44 MYT
wah reply nya ultram4n... tahun baru sudah, muharam sudah, gong xi fa chai sudah, masih begaduh juga.. niat artikelnya kan baik. liat aja tuh kalimat terakhirnya.. eh maret ini artikelnya ultah ke-3. masih hot juga. hebat euy. wah submit reply mesti masukin kode uLtraM4n pulak, kekek.. next time I shall leave comment as teh botol .

#296	PakDin	11-Feb-2008, 13:44 MYT
Ungke,Cirebonese,Cik Bijaksana,pakdinsewo t. Terima kasih karena respon anda. saya tidak membela supir taksi Malaysia yang berantem dengan si Galuh itu. Kasus yang saya "sharing" di sini adalah "masuk kandang kambing ngembek, masuk kandang kerbau nguak" atau juga "mikul duwur mendem jero" ajah....menjunjung setinggi-tingginya tapi memendam sedalam-dalamnya. Kalau pun negara saya dilecehkan orang, saya tetap menjunjung nya tak perlu saya tunjukkan kepada supir taksi itu. saya pendam sedalam-dalamnya saja. betul juga kata pakdinsewot "apalah salahnya Galuh cerita pengalamannya" saya pula "apalah salahnya PakDin menceritakan pengalaman saya". kok ada yang sewot si Fairy ajah siarkan respon ku

#295	Fairy	9-Feb-2008, 15:38 MYT
uLtraM4n: I understand where you're coming from and your arguments and opinions may open the eyes of readers who are willing to take them with an open mind. Thanks for speaking from the heart and mind. Cik Bijaksana: Semua orang ada pendapat masing2, saya lebih suka kalau orang berbagi2 pandangan dengan cara yang sopan, tak kiralah kalau pandangan itu bercanggah dengan fikiran saya atau tidak. Jangan kasi pandangan dengan cara kampungan!

#293	Cik Bijaksana	6-Feb-2008, 11:33 MYT
Hi Fai, Saya yakin usia kamu lebih muda dari pada PakDin itu. Tapi cara berpikir kamu lebih dewasa dan jernih dari pada PakDin. Memang, usia atau pendidikan tak selalu menjamin seseorang dapat berpikir dan bersikap dewasa. Duuh...sok tau banget ya gue

#292	Fairy	5-Feb-2008, 09:28 MYT
UNGKE: Terima kasih! Happy holidays.

#291	PakDinSewot	4-Feb-2008, 21:19 MYT
Wah...makin rame aja nih Kalo PakDin selalu menjawab 'inggih, inggih, inggih' ke pak supir, berarti dia seorang yg underclass dong! Lagian kalo dipikir-pikir apa salahnya kalo Galuh ceritain pengalamannya disini. Kok PakDin yang sewot sih

#290	ungke	4-Feb-2008, 12:05 MYT
PakDin, you also have right to defense that taxi driver (Galuh’s case). I know not all Indonesian is like that taxi driver (your case) and not all Indonesians being raped, robbed, treated like animal, brutally beaten even killed by Malaysians in Malaysia. Maybe Galuh is not as well educated as you are until you are questioning her education level. Maybe Galuh and her friend are just unlucky women at the wrong place at the wrong time. As Fairy says it is just one incident but there could be many more unreported cases. That means there could be many unlucky Indonesians at the wrong place at the wrong time in Malaysia. Or Maybe there are no right places for Indonesians in Malaysia but surely I know there is someone very nice like a fairy in Malaysia and her name Farah Mahzan. Betul tak Cik Fairy Gong Xi Fa Cai!

#288	PakDin	31-Jan-2008, 10:57 MYT
Ok pada pandangan anda berbeda. Saya terima itu. Perbedaan yang saya akui adalah "approach" cara saya. Saya diam + senyum + iya + iya betul...sambari memuji-muji keagungan,kekuatan,k ehebatan kerajaan Majapahit wuah makin gengsi saja Pak Supir itu. ( it is just my kind of diplomacy) Saya tidak bertanya atau respon ya I am Malaysian do you have any problem with that? (saya orang Malay kenapa rupanya?) Who are you to say that as a nation we have nothing? (siapa kau enak aja bilang begitu?). Ok Mr Malon (saya coba menyebutnya kayak Marlon) ini yang membedakannya. Lagi pula saya hanya turis kelas menengah ke bawah. bukan attache "gengsi" saya rendah tidak setinggi Galuh maklum attache lah pulak. nantilah kalau ada waktu saya ke KBRI jalan Tun Razak KL (tempat main-mainku dulu itu waktu SIPENMARU) ketemu sama Ibu Galuh. biar ku tanya sendiri.

#286	PakDin	29-Jan-2008, 08:44 MYT
ya betul pandangan Malon dan Fai. Kenapa saya tidak diusir? karena saya memilih untuk tidak berdebat (confronted) dengannya. Saya orang Malaysia bangga itu bangunan Petronas ! kami punya yang tertinggi! jangan macam-macam kau pak supir bla bla. PASTI saya diusir dari taxi itu bah! to Fai he he PakDin debat dengan tuan rumah pula tak pa ke? sikap derebar /supir taksi itu memang siapa pun tidak dapat menerimanya. But if I still want to go to Ambaruk mall in yogja by that taxi I will use my wisdom. Saya tidak akan kontra dengan patriotisme pak supir itu. Betoi dak? saya milih untuk inggih,inggih,inggih (Javanese iya,iya,iya)

#285	Fairy	28-Jan-2008, 16:43 MYT
PAKDIN: I don't condone what that taxi driver did to Galuh. Educated or not, his behavior was totally unacceptable, and I don't see why being undereducated should warrant the driver rights to be rude. He obviously breached his responsibility to be an exemplary citizen and unofficial ambassador of Malaysia and I am just disgusted. I know it is just one incident (but there could be many more unreported cases), but it's enough to permanently carve a very unpleasant memory in Galuh's mind about her stay in Malaysia and she will no doubt carry this scar with her for the rest of her life. I empathize with Galuh, and I wouldn't be trying to find a similar case in Indonesia to match hers in a hurry. I just personally think it's better to look inward than outward sometimes. MALON, NITY: Thanks for your constructive comments.

#283	PakDin	24-Jan-2008, 15:01 MYT
hii Nity .you have right to defense Galuh. I did not say mine is the same. But it could be the same If I decided to write or publish my experience and saying this is what i got from Yogja,Indonesia? right Nity? Galuh is a diplomat. Well educated(from what she descibed her self) and that taxi driver is a taxi driver ( I am not trying under estimate the man) . A taxi driver in Yogja is a taxi driver does not represent the whole Indonesian. There will always be another good taxi driver in Yogja. also there are many other good taxi driver in KL.

#281	PakDin	18-Jan-2008, 15:26 MYT
I wonder why Galuh Pangestu a well educated person would like to debate her nationaliscism with a taxi Driver that I am so sure didn't finish his secondary school. I happens to me too in Jogya when a taxi driver told me that the early civilization in the world is around Borobudur. Malaysian you have nothing to be proud of even the tallest twin tower were built by Indonesia. My reply was "oh ya! good! you are so lucky to be Indonesian"

#276	ZaraAlamandaDaVincci	15-Jan-2008, 04:32 MYT
Kindly watch this youtube video Link Its regarding the dance fr Acheh province, known as Tari Saman, performed by Indonesian student in Multimedia University. But that is not my intention here, i just want all of you read those comments post by the Indonesian students in MMU, accusing Malaysian as thieves,calling names nasty words, and req to pattern the dance a.s.a.p worrying that Malaysia will steal their culture etc. They studying in Malaysia but among themselves cursing, bashing us everyday. Already check another video found quite similar comments. They living and study here in Malaysia, smile so sweet in front of us,at the same time cursing fiercely on the back. Do we need to trust them? If you doesnt believe it,try surf the site kaskus.us, click the Malaysian forum, check those comments, articles and posts made by Indonesian students in Malaysia, definitely you can feel what i feel right now. Anyhow, not all them like that, I have an Indonesian friend,saying 'Dont talk about politics,let those bad Indon and bad Malingsia fighting each other,we good Indonesian and good Malaysian must live peacefully, happy together...' He urged me to sing Berdua Lebih Baik song fr Ache Septriasa, anyway its quite seems like a theraphy session singing that song. Sometimes, i can feel the heat of this situation but fr now on stop fighting each other, dont even think of it,you need to calm down and let all those politicians do their job, we ordinary people must stop calling names,bashing each other whatsoever. Please be like Bunga C. Lestari and Ashraf Sinclair,they love each other...

#275	LieGanah	12-Jan-2008, 23:52 MYT
bravo indonesian fight for indo word Untuk pengetahuan umum, saya warganegara Malaysia. Terpanggil saya untuk berkongsi pandangan terhadap kiriman Galuh Pangestu Indraswari sebelumnya. Seperti yang kita semua maklum orang indonesia memang tak menyukai orang malaysia. Persoalan ini memang sadis untuk diolah lagi. Setelah membaca pengalaman pahit dari kawan kita yang bekerja di malaysia apa kata saya berkongsi pengalaman saya. Galuh Pangestu Indraswari teman kita dari indonesia yg kini bekerja di Malaysia jika ada masa kamu membaca karangan ini boleh la bertandang ke Kampung Sungai Tangkas, Bangi, Selangor. Dari Stesen Sentral KTM Kuala Lumpur tambangnya RM 3.70 rasanya. Kemudian turun di Stesen UKM. Jalan kaki 100 meter itulah kampung sungai tangkas. Disini kebanyakan kedai makan atau restoran masakannya sedap. Sesuai dengan selera org melayu. Pertama kali saya ke kampung sungai tangkas tertarik hati bagaimana rencah atau acuan kepada integrasi kaum disini. Disini hampir 200 orang dari Indonesia. Telah menetap lebih dari 20 tahun lalu. Dari thailand, myanmar & pakistan. Penduduk asal kampung ini juga tidak menghadapi sebarang masalah berkomunikasi dengan rakyat indonesia disini. Kerana mereka telah berasimilasi dengan rakyat malaysia. Apa yang mengejutkan mereka juga boleh berbahasa loghat kelantan. Jarang-jarang rakyat Malaysia boleh berbahasa lebih dari 2 dialek. Dari ekonomi pula rakyat indonesia mencari wang dengan berniaga!!. Juga membuat saya terkejut. Penduduk asal kampung ini sudah lama bersaudara dan memberi kepercayaan kepada warga indonesia untuk membina kedai-kedai dan gerai. Disini saya senaraikan beberapa perniagaan warga indonesia di kampung sungai tangkas. Kedai runcit - 3 buah Gerai air tebu - 1 buah Kedai Makan - 1 buah Kedai Telefon - 2 buah Kedai dobi - 1 buah yang lainnya Cyber cafe, restoran, kedai gunting rambut, kedai runcit dan kedai telefon bimbit bukan milik warga indonesia.Bagaimana ini boleh terjadi? Bagaimana warga indonesia boleh mempunyai aset sebesar itu di Malaysia? japannya ada dalam darah kita. Penduduk kampung tidak pernah mempersoalkan isu kewarganegaraan, bangsa ataupun agama. Warga Indonesia hidup dalam keadaan harmoni disini. Pernah satu ketika seorang lelaki dibunuh disini. Ketika pulang dari kuliah malam saya melalui kawasan tersebut dan ramai polis dan penduduk kampung mengerumuni kawasan perumahan yang baru dibuat. Hati saya mengatakan "Ah.. dah agak dah mat indo punya kerja la ni.. gaduh sama sendiri lagi". Tapi dengan perasaan ingin tahu saya menunggu sehingga tamat forensik menganalisa kes. Jam 1.30 pagi pihak polis melonggarkan sekatan dan saya terus mengambil peluang untuk masuk secara dekat. Disitu terbaring mayat yang sudah terburai isi perutnya akibat dikelar dengan parang. Tetapi tanggapan saya sebelum ini silap kerana bukan warga indonesia tetapi india malaysia. Sejak setahun tinggal disini saya selesa tiada masalah berkaitan peras ugut atau samseng. Dahulunya kawasan itu dibawah 'Along' kini aman dan tenteram. Ketika tinggal di situ jika ada majlis perkahwinan atau majlis keagamaan atau apa sekalipun masyarakat sama bergontong royong dalam menjayakan majlis tersebut. Tiada sedikit pun bibit-bibit perkauman yang timbul. Kawan saya yang berkerja di Kolej Rahim Kajai UKM (warganegara indonesia) juga mempunyai keluarga disini. Kawan saya juga pernah memberi processor komputer ketika saya mengahapi masalah kewangan semasa belajar dahulu. Processor itu saya jualkan dengan harga RM 500 dan dia tidak sedikit pun minta hasil dari jualan processor itu. Memang saya akui ramai dari kalangan pelajar memandang pekerja indonesia sebagai pekerja kelas bawahan. Tetapi "Buat baik dibalas baik". Kini setelah setahun bekerja mereka semakin maju dan ada antaranya sudah berkahwin dan mempunyai anak. Ada sudah mempunyai motosikal sendiri. Semasa belajar juga, di fakulti saya terdapat beberapa pelajar indonesia tetapi mereka merasakan ada penghalang dalam komunikasi. Kami tidak pula memperendahkan mereka malah mereka bebas bergaul dengan kami. Ketika bekerja di sebuah syarikat animasi di Technology Park Bukit Jalil. Terdapat juga rakan sekerja dari indonesia (chinese). Mereka juga mengahadapi masalah yang sama kadang-kadang diragut, dimaki tetapi kemesraan bersama-sama rakan sekerja amat baik. Parti dianjurkan oleh pihak syarikat juga dihadiri oleh mereka. Majlis rumah terbuka Hari Raya (lebaran) juga dihadiri oleh mereka. Pendek kata tiada bezanya antara indonesia atau malaysia. Jika ada kemahuan disitu ada jalan. Sikap mesra boleh dipupuk asalkan jangan berfikiran negatif. Pengalaman saya ini nampaknya bercanggah dari pengalaman penulis sebelum ini. Jika penduduk kampung sungai tangkas boleh menerima warganegara indonesia disini kenapa tidak kampung-kampung lain? Disini kami boleh mengecam warganegara indonesia dari cara pemakaiannya. Jika perempuan akan memakai tudung indonesia. Manakala lelaki dari raut wajah. Tetapi tidak terdetik menggunakan perkataan sempadan dalam pergaulan jauh sekali menganggap sebagai orang asing dalam masyarakat. Tetapi di Jakarta mereka menganggap Malaysia ini asing. Tolong jangan beri tanggapan buruk kepada kami. sekian, LieGanah Ore Kelate Kito

#274	Fairy	11-Jan-2008, 10:55 MYT
Here's another recent "Indon" acknowledgement by Malaysian authorities, well, DUH. BTW, I wonder if the 'nigger' reference by Khairy J below was inspired by my 'Indon' article - I did after all highlight the comparison. And plus, the comment by the PSSLM guy (see last few paragraphs) is IDIOTIC at best. What Khairy was trying to achieve was to get people to stop using 'Indon' to refer to Indonesians, NOT to propose a new shortened name for Indonesians! Honestly people, get with the programme! Perkataan Indon tak diiktiraf Jumaat, 11 Januari 2008 KUALA LUMPUR: Cendekiawan dan pakar bahasa Melayu tidak merestui penggunaan perkataan 'Indon' bagi merujuk kepada warga Indonesia di negara ini kerana tidak diiktiraf sebagai perkataan dan memberi pengertian negatif. Sambil menyambut baik saranan Naib Ketua Pemuda Umno, Khairy Jamaludin kelmarin yang mahu rakyat menghentikan panggilan itu, mereka mahu kerajaan terutama Kementerian Penerangan mengeluarkan garis panduan kepada media massa supaya supaya masyarakat luar tidak terikut-ikut. Ketua Pengarah Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), Datuk Dr Firdaus Abdullah, berkata DBP sejak dulu memang tidak mengiktiraf perkataan itu kerana ia tidak memberi sebarang pengertian dan seharusnya ditukar kepada orang Indonesia atau warga Indonesia. "Lagipun, sejarah di negara luar dan negara kita sendiri menunjukkan panggilan itu sebagai menghina. Sejarah di negara luar juga membuktikan panggilan seumpama itu lebih kepada berunsurkan menghina seperti berlaku di Amerika Syarikat (AS) apabila orang berkulit putih memanggil orang kulit hitam dengan perkataan 'nigger'. "Jadi, saya menyokong supaya dihapuskan penggunaan perkataan Indon kerana tidak mendapat pengiktirafan DBP sebagai perkataan dan menghina warga Indonesia yang sudah lama menjadi rakan negara kita," katanya di sini, semalam. Beliau diminta mengulas kenyataan Khairy pada hari terakhir Dialog Malindo 2008 kelmarin yang mahu rakyat menghentikan penggunaan gelaran itu yang dianggap menghina dan menjatuhkan maruah mereka. Khairy berkata, rakyat Indonesia tersinggung dengan panggilan itu yang didakwa seolah-olah rakyat Malaysia memandang rendah serta tidak menghormati mereka sebagai jiran serumpun yang berkongsi banyak persamaan. Sehubungan itu, Firdaus berharap Kementerian Penerangan yang bertanggungjawab memantau operasi media massa negara memainkan peranan supaya keharmonian hubungan antara dua negara rumpun Melayu itu tidak terjejas. "Sayang kalau kita keruhkan hubungan baik yang sudah lama terjalin hanya kerana perkara yang remeh temeh dan lebih teruk lagi ia berkaitan dengan benda yang tidak diiktiraf langsung," katanya. Pakar bahasa, Prof Emeritus Dr Nik Safiah Karim pula menjelaskan perkataan Indon tidak termasuk dalam senarai perkataan dan hanya boleh dianggap sebagai singkatan kepada Indonesia. "Memang tidak ada masalah menggunakannya, tetapi adalah lebih elok jika digantikan ayat itu kepada warga Indonesia yang lebih sesuai bagi mengelakkan perasaan orang lain tersinggung," katanya. "Jadi, saya sokong kenyataan supaya perkataan itu tidak digunakan bagi menjaga perasaan orang lain dan lebih penting memelihara keagungan Bahasa Melayu sendiri," katanya. Sementara itu, Mahaguru dan Pengasas Pertubuhan Seni Silat Lincah Malaysia (PSSLM) meminta Khairy mencadangkan nama yang sesuai kepada warga Indonesia sekiranya panggilan 'Indon' dianggap menghina dan menjatuhkan maruah rakyat republik itu. Beliau berkata, Khairy patut memberikan nama lain selepas beliau (Khairy) meminta rakyat berhenti memanggil warga Indonesia di negara ini dengan panggilan berkenaan. "Sekiranya panggilan 'Indon' tidak boleh digunakan, takkan nak panggil Republik Indonesia. Saya berpendapat tiada salahnya kita menggunakan panggilan 'Indon.' "Saya minta maaf kerana saya bukan ahli bahasa, jadi eloklah saudara Khairy bagi satu nama atau gelaran lain. Saya fikir nama singkatan itu adalah satu kemegahan untuk orang Indonesia," katanya. Source: Berita Harian Link

#273	Fairy	11-Jan-2008, 10:47 MYT
What took Malaysian politicians so long to issue this kind of statement, sheesh. We've acknowledged this for yonks, right guys! Khairy: Stop saying 'Indon' (2008/01/09) SHAH ALAM: Stop using the derogatory term "Indon" when referring to Indonesians. Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin said most Malaysians were unaware that the term was not used in Indonesia and that Indonesians were offended by its usage here. Speaking at the Malaysian-Indonesian (Malindo) Dialogue 2008, he urged Malay-sians to be more sensitive to the feelings of Indonesians. "The Malaysian media should lead the way by doing away with the term, to avoid causing ill feelings." Khairy said words and terms which caused anger or hurt a person's feelings should be avoided as they could be used by irresponsible parties to fan discontentment. Indonesian delegate Hamkam Noor said the term "Indonesian" denoted the identity of the country's people and the truncated word was belittling to them. The representative from Umum Komite Nasional Pemuda Indonesia supported the call to stop using the term. Khairy said both countries should focus on their commonalities, which is a shared heritage and past, instead of letting differences of opinions spoil the current good relations. To further enhance ties, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would be conferred with the title Tun, which is the nation's highest award, by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin during his working visit to Malaysia on Thursday. Source: New Straits Times Malaysia Link

#272	Fairy	27-Dec-2007, 18:38 MYT
PAKDIN: Relax, of course not everyone is that taxi driver, no one is saying that Malaysians are all like that. It is just unfortunate for Galuh that she had such a terrible experience with that one particular driver.

#271	PakDin	26-Dec-2007, 14:43 MYT
well... not all Malaysian are that taxi drivers! not all Malaysian been robbed,raped,killed by Indonesian. Bad or good people are every where ini this world.

#270	Fairy	14-Dec-2007, 17:13 MYT
DIMAS: Thanks for sharing the story about Galuh's bad experience. In case anyone out there doubts its validity, I have personally checked with the Indonesian Embassy here in KL and it is indeed true and Galuh is a real person. The taxi driver's behaviour is appalling, to say the least. Absolutely a disgrace to our community. When will this nonsense cease? It's honestly getting out of hand!

#269	dimas - Website	13-Dec-2007, 17:04 MYT
hello fairy, i think what you made here is wonderful. you're creating a very nice space with great articles. ok, about Indon. i have a story from my friend who worked for the embassy in KL. and she was trated bad by a cab driver just because she's indonesia. happy reading. Kami Bukan “Indon” Bekerja dan hidup di Malaysia merupakan pengalaman terpahit dalam hidup saya. Tidak pernah saya merasa begitu terhina menjadi manusia apalagi sebagai seorang warganegara Indonesia. Ya, Saya adalah warganegara Indonesia, dan saya bangga dan cinta dengan hal tersebut. Saya ingin membagi pengalaman terpahit saya dari semua pengalaman pahit yang pernah saya alami. Kejadian ini terjadi pukul tujuh malam, hari Rabu tepatnya tanggal 12 Desember 2007. Hari itu saya merasa sudah cukup letih dengan pekerjaan dan memutuskan untuk pulang meskipun sedang hujan. Keluar dari gerbang Kedutaan Besar RI Kuala Lumpur, saya dan teman memutuskan untuk naik taksi. Kami sadar pilihan ini akan membuat kami harus menunggu cukup lama. Sekedar informasi, kalau cuaca bagus dan masih relatif sore mencari taksi susahnya bukan main, apalagi dengan keadaan hujan dan larut malam. Setelah menunggu hingga beberapa puluh menit, akhirnya ada taksi yang berhenti. Saya pun merasa sangat bersyukur. Karena harus melipat payung terlebih dahulu dan hal ini sedikit memakan waktu, maka ketika masuk taksi saya pun mengucapkan “maaf yah” pada supir taksi, standar orang Indonesia dalam bersopan santun. Beberapa detik setelah siap dan menuju tempat tujuan, sopir itu bertanya “you Indon ke?” Saya jawab: “Indonesia.” Kemudian dengan nada tinggi dia kembali mengatakan “Indon” saya jawab “Indonesia” dan berulang beberapa kali seperti itu. Kemudian dia pun mengatakan “No Indonesia in Malaysia there is only Indon,” dengan nada marah-marah. Kemudian dia menyusul makiannya dengan berkata, “I am a muslim, I am scared of nothing, you indon did wrong, you scared people afraid to know you are indon,” dengan nada emosi dan bingung teman saya mulai melawan, “no, we aren’t scared of nothing, we are Indonesia not Indon.” Kemudian saya menyondongkan badan ke depan ke arah supir dan menyorongkan muka ke arahnya dan bertanya: “do you have problem?” Kemudian dia menjawab “no, good enough.” Saya jawab “Ok” dan dia membalas “Ok, no talk.” Setelah saya balik duduk di posisi menyender, kembali dia berucap “you indon all crazy, criminals, get out of here, it’s free for you indon, get off” dan mengucapkan itu berulang kali. Kami pun langsung turun, meskipun hujan dan macet, dan posisi taksi yang kami tumpangi berada di tengah-tengah jalan. Makian gila itu tidak berhenti sampai kami turun. Setelah kami ke pinggir sambil merasa shock, supir itu keluar dari taksi, berteriak-teriak ditengah jalan, “you indon bastard, you wont pay, you all criminals,” sampai-sampai semua orang dalam mobil yang sedang sesak dan macet itu pun melihat ke arah kami. Sekedar informasi, argo di taksi itu baru RM2 lebih beberapa sen, karena kami baru berjalan sekitar 200 meter. Membuka pintu taksi di Malaysia akan dikenakan tarif buka pintu sebesar RM2, atau Rp. 5000. Lagipula dia mengusir kami dengan mengatakan “it’s free.” Buat apa kami bayar setelah dicaci-maki dan diusir apalagi baru jalan sekitar 200 meter. Ketika mobil mulai berjalan pun dia membuka kaca dan tetap memaki. Saya tidak mengerti, saya sangat merasa sakit hati dan tidak percaya ini terjadi. Saya tidak mengerti, mengapa sulit sekali bagi mereka (saya tidak menyebut seluruhnya, namun mayoritas orang Malaysia) untuk memanggil orang Indonesia dengan Indonesia dan bukan “Indon”. Sudah pekak telinga saya disebut-sebut sebagai “Indon”. Sebagai staf lokal KBRI di Malaysia, keinginan untuk meluruskan atau menghilangkan istilah ini mungkin jauh lebih besar daripada bagi warganegara Indonesia yang bekerja diluar KBRI Kuala Lumpur. Bekerja di instansi ini membuat saya melihat lebih jelas segala ketidakadilan yang dialami oleh WNI. Walaupun demikian, saya berusaha membuat perbedaan dengan apa yang saya lihat dari nasib orang-orang Indonesia yang berada di penampungan dan yang mendapat kesuksesan mencari nafkah di Malaysia. Nyatanya, begitu saya menginjakkan kaki keluar dari KBRI Kuala Lumpur, hinaan dan tawaan yang bernada merendahkan justru seringkali saya alami sebagai seorang warga negara Indonesia. Kami bukan “Indon”. Kami Indonesia. Saya rasa hal ini cukup simple dan mudah dimengerti oleh bangsa yang sangat maju seperti Malaysia. Saya lelah dihina dan ditertawakan. Ingin sekali saya berteriak sampai menggema ke seluruh penjuru Malaysia bahwa dengan bangga dan rasa cinta saya mengungkapkan, “Saya adalah warganegara Indonesia”. Penulis: Galuh Pangestu Indraswari, Staf Lokal Bagian Pendidikan KBRI Malaysia Mobile phone: +60169613071 Office: +60-03-21164121 Fax: +60-03-21445528

#267	Fairy	14-Nov-2007, 17:41 MYT
CIREBONESE, ZADEE, thank you for your recent comments. I appreciate you being respectful in this forum. Although Zadee, your comments are a bit on the strong side for our Indonesian readers. And for the record, CIREBONESE, I don't think Sheikh Muszaphar was the first Muslim to enter space. This American-Iranian lady is. There was a comment from an 'anonymous' person after Cirebonese which I considered very rude (and there was also another one in the Guestbook). Remember, there is no room and tolerance here for comments which are tasteless and disrespectful. If you have an opinion, please lah, pakai bahasa yang elok. No need to make reference to 'Malingsia' or whatever it is inconsiderate Indonesians are calling Malaysia these days.

#264	Fairy	8-Nov-2007, 12:50 MYT
miund: Hey there, thanks ya. I'm gonna drop you an email.

#263	miund - Website	7-Nov-2007, 19:15 MYT
THANK YOU FAIRY! Oh my God, I wanted so much to write about this in my English blog, but I couldn't possibly put it better than you. I hate the term Indon so much, and I salute you for posting this. Please accept my heartfelt gratitude. -Miund-, an Indonesian girl. ps: by the way, I think we have a mutual friend.

#262	Fairy	28-Sep-2007, 15:44 MYT
PAKDIN: I knew someone out there would be pleased, especially you Pak. Here's to two-sided stories!

#261	pakdin	28-Sep-2007, 12:48 MYT
TQ Fairy for forwarding mr Sultan article! that the real. Now people out of Jakarta say something... let those loe,gw tau situasi sebenarnya kalau baca koran Kompas,Koki,Jakarta Post there is nothing good about Malaysia.

#260	Fairy	27-Sep-2007, 22:02 MYT
REI: It doesn't feel nice to be generalized into a minority group that thinks against your own beliefs, does it? That's how I feel sometimes when some Indonesians tend to overgeneralize Malaysians to be sekian dan sekian.

#259	rei	27-Sep-2007, 18:30 MYT
sorry double post,,, well.,That's not true if u say people of jakarta lah yang kepengen to stop bilateral relationship between indo and Malay... it's not founded.. paling cuman nol koma sekian persen doank penduduk jakarta yang anti-malaysia and the rest, fine2 saja kok...

#258	rei	27-Sep-2007, 18:14 MYT
nah lo, kok jadi orang jakarta yg disalahin??? puh-leaze deh...

#257	Fairy	27-Sep-2007, 10:48 MYT
Teman-teman, Saya tergerak hati untuk berkongsi sebuah reaksi daripada seorang yang bernama Sultan yang tinggal di Batam. I know it's a slightly outdated, but still relevant to our discussion on the Indonesian karate referee beating incident. I had no idea some people were so serious about spreading travel warnings against visiting Malaysia. At any rate, this is what Sultan had to say about it, I find him to be very rational and clear headed. From: S yohh Date: Sep 3, 2007 4:33 PM Subject: Re: [jurnalisme] Mengapa tak ada Traver Warning ke Malaysia? To: jurnalisme@yahoogroups.com Jangan terlalu berlebihan Pak! Mengikuti diskusi soal yang satu ini, kok, saya rasa jadi melebar ke mana-mana. Insiden yang menjadi pemicu pun belum jelas juntrungnya. Koran Tempo beberapa waktu lalu menurunkan dua versi berbeda peristiwa pengeroyokan wasit Donald Peter Luther. Keduanya, bahkan sepertinya tidak menarik untuk dicari tahu, versi mana yang benar. Eh..., justru malah rame-rame menghujat ke arah yang nggak-nggak. Yang sweeping lah, yang pemutusan hubungan diplomatik... Kini malah ada yang usul travel warning. Jika Anda-anda semua tinggal di daerah perbatasan (seperti saya yang di Batam), mungkin Anda-anda akan merasa, bagaimana ketergantungan kami dengan Malaysia, juga negara2 lain seperti Singapura. Bagaimana ketidakterpisahan masyarakat2 masing-masing negara. "Bos-bos" Jakarta sana, aduh... cuma bisanya minta jatah PAD kami sambil buat kebijakan-kebijakan nggak karu-karuan untuk kami di sini. Kebijakan yang sama sekali nggak mikir seperti apa keadaan interaksi kami di perbatasan. Ketika Jakarta mengetuk palu, memutuskan kebijakan2 ngawur mereka soal hubungan antarnegara, kamilah yang langsung kena imbas. Bukan kalian, wahai orang2 Jakarta! Jika misalnya travel warning atau hubungan diplomatik diputus, Anda-anda semua bisa bayangkan, bagaimana sulitnya interaksi ribuan keluarga yang tinggal di Kepri-Malaysia. Anda mungkin tak tahu, setiap minggu, ratusan, bahkan ribuan keluarga dari Malaysia datang ke Pinang/Batam, juga sebaliknya. Sepengalaman saya, peristiwa yang dialami Donald Peter Luther (ataupun keponakan Mbak Sirikit yang pilot itu) hanya insidental saja. Kita tidak bisa memukul rata, menganggap perlakuan mereka semua begitu. Di Sabah, Kinabalu, sebagai Indon (sebutan Indon kini tidak bisa diartikan sebatas sebutan hinaan. Tapi sudah menjadi sebutan umum selayak orang kita menyebut China, atau "Dasar Batak lu...") saya diperlakukan dengan baiknya oleh setiap orang yang saya temui. Di Penang, bahkan saya dipersilahkan tinggal di keluarga yang tak saya kenal sebelumnya. Di Johor, Kuala Lumpur, memang agak cuek layaknya Jakarta. Tapi masyarakat di Malaka, Ipoh, Selangor, mengingatkan saya pada kampung saya di Batu, Malang sana. Masyarakatnya ramah-ramah. Sekali lagi, cobalah berpikir dengan lebih bijaksana. Dan jangan hanya berpikir dengan cara pandang Jakarta saja! Salam dari Batam, Sultan http://adalahcerita.blogspot.com/

#255	Fairy	19-Sep-2007, 12:02 MYT
VINCENT: Yes, nobody wants to be treated cruelly or unkindly. And yes, there are issues with the way some government folks carry out their duties. But I doubt it is the norm. I think you are OVERGENERALIZING that the Malaysian government and its people are all "$hit". It's too much of a hit-in-the-dark type of accusation, unbecoming of someone who is educated and open minded. Please read this comment from a reader named Ezza Fariza and after that, tell me if you still think the Malaysian government treat Indonesian people like "$hit." PAKDIN: Buat apa malu mengaku jadi orang Malaysia, yang buat salah dan kejam itu bukannya semua orang di negara tercinta kita ini.

#254	pakdin	19-Sep-2007, 09:35 MYT
Just came back from UGM Yogya.Matur nuwunnn. Satu ajah konklusi dari Pak Din peace be upon all (doesnt matter your colour,nationality,r ace) we are all human children of earth! berantem atas nama patriotisme,nasional isme ! please ajah deh.... God is great! kalau seperti Yim Pek Ha (majikan Nirmala), 4 polisi itu, aku pun malu ngaku asal Malaysia!

#252	Fairy	18-Sep-2007, 10:09 MYT
I do appreciate people giving their comments here, everyone is entitled to their own opinion - but let's do try to be constructive, less emotional and more logical & realistic, ya people. VINCENT: Of course Malaysia is far from perfect, I agree it's not without flaws. But to say that the practice of modern Islam in Malaysia was represented by the policemen who abused the Indonesian karate referee is not only inaccurate, it is unfounded and a bit biased. Heck, we don't even know for sure if the bad policemen were even all Muslims. And even if they were, surely a few idiots do not represent an entire country.

#251	vincent	17-Sep-2007, 17:12 MYT
mcat, dont make me sick.. u know your country is far from perfect either... It's not like Malaysia got no problem, nggak cemerlang2 amat juga.. I am also concern with the latest development in Malaysia. Malaysia is not "better" than Indonesia, even worst for certain issues such as democracy, race discrimination, corruption, control of press and human rights.... "Melihat kuman di seberang lautan, gajah di pelupuk mata tak terlihat".. malaysia is a modernly islamic country, so that's why it's not surprising that malaysian police tortured Mr. Donald before interogating him and without any evidence. is that the way the educated people do to solve the problems??. now i know what the definition of modern country is. hahaha....think twice b4 making statements, sir !!

#249	Fairy - Website	13-Sep-2007, 10:11 MYT
SUPERGAY: Ya udah, peace bro. Lest we forget, arrogant and incompetent policemen are everywhere, not just in Malaysia. Indonesia is no exception either. Here is a recent report from Kompas on what some Indonesians think of their Polri officers.

#248	SuperGay	9-Sep-2007, 21:38 MYT
Fairy: I agree dear.They also cant plan and execute their project without the funds that they keep receiving. I wonder whos behind all this. They must be very rich Ok Fara. Udah ah males ngomongin ginian, capek dech, gak bakal kelar gue yakin. Gue mau baca2 artikel lo yang lain lagi ya see u there.

#247	Fairy	9-Sep-2007, 13:15 MYT
SUPERGAY: I agree that masterminds are important, however they cannot execute their plans without help from others.

#246	SuperGay	9-Sep-2007, 02:28 MYT
Fairy: I believe the mastermind has the most important role. I mean if they're operating in Pakistan they will recruit some Pakistanis I suppose. Looks like It depends on the location

#244	Fairy	6-Sep-2007, 09:52 MYT
SUPERGAY dude: Alamak, devi apa devil apa diva nih? I did not forget that the masterminds behind the Bali bombings are Malaysians, but the perpetrator a.k.a. orang suruhan yang di bawah mereka itu adalah orang Indonesia (remember Amrozi the smiling bomber, was he not local?). That was what ran through my mind when I wrote my last comments, actually. Nobody needed to listen to the ludicrous commands of these masterminds, they could have walked away and not do it, betul tak? It takes two to tango, and in this case it was a very evil dance that they were jiving to. Need I reiterate the concept of bad vs good? And why Indonesia? I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that Indonesia is a the biggest Muslim country in the world and perhaps easier for the mastermind to coax this brethern to act in such a way. Buat apa in Cambodia or Laos, or even Malaysia (we're a tiny speck compared to you guys), not big as an impact. Yang sedang marak di zaman ini kan Islam extremism, so doing it in Cambodia or Laos would be rather odd. Perhaps the bombings are an indication that security in Indonesia was more lax and hence people can get away with something as nasty as a bombing threat, Allahuwaalam. But of course this is not the case anymore, security in Indonesia is crazy tight.

#243	SuperGay	5-Sep-2007, 23:13 MYT
Fairy: U're such a devi u know, those kind and wise words hmmm... could u be any wiser Oh ya, one thing that still bother me and a lot of Indonesians here since u mentioned the Bali Bombing earlier. The mastermind of several bomb attacks in Indonesia are Malaysians dear. Why did they destroy our country? Why didnt they do it in Malaysia or any vulnerable country? Cambodia or Lao DPR for instance? Why here? Why Indonesia? It's like a BIG BIG CONSPIRACY U know. Looks like the whole world is united against Indonesia, trying to stop Indonesia for becoming a great nation. But of course We all realize and do believe that the most populous muslim nation with all its great natural resources can be a threat to any other country if she grows greater and getting richer. Ohh Poor Indonesia, I love U so much but I hate U too.

#242	Fairy	5-Sep-2007, 14:22 MYT
RAHEL: My apologies for not responding to you, I overlooked. No doubt, there are negative stereotypical views of Indonesian workers (TKI) here in Malaysia. With all the bad limelight Malaysians are facing, there is also another side of the story: There are Malaysians who have also been victimized by Indonesians, such as being hurt and robbed out of their house and home by a group of criminals who are helped by the home owner's maid (insider job gitu lah). There are also maids who abuse their employer's kids while they go off to work, and things of that sort. You get the picture lah. So really, all of this is not so much about being Indonesian vs Malaysian, but rather it is about being good or bad human beings. Let's face it, there are bad folks everywhere, capable of really bad things. And then there are the good folks who don't want trouble and want to lead happy, safe lives. I've also heard and read a lot of negative things about Indonesia in the media that would make anyone afraid to go visit it, like the bombings that have taken place in Bali and Jakarta in the past 5 years for example, but do I live my life assuming all Indonesians are Islam extremists and suicide bombers? No, right. So the same ideology can be applied to Malaysia, we're not all a bunch of maid-abusing, disrespectful to our Indonesian friends type of people. There are actually idiots or deranged people out there who commit such insanity. And oh yes, there is nothing wrong with demonstrating your views of course, but when you talk about sweeping people out of your country just because a few people screwed up, now that's just crazy talk.

#240	Fairy	5-Sep-2007, 10:23 MYT
EMCAT: Pihak media Indonesia memang kadang-kadang terlalu membesar-besarkan isu buruk yang berkaitan dengan pengendalian orang Malaysia terhadap Indonesia. Kita pun maklum Indonesia adalah negara yang punya maruah dan harga diri juga. Tapi dari situ Malaysia juga harus mendapat pelajaran untuk memperbaiki diri - kita pun tidak sempurna. BLUE_LI: Thanks, I wrote this article two years ago, but it is still being hotly discussed till today by MyIndo.com readers. PAKCIK RAMLEE & EVERYONE: I actually received a lot of forwards from my Indonesian friends about the Budiman Bachtiar Harsa story (see post #238). Before believing it I wrote personally to Mr Budiman to verify the story and he has replied to confirm. I'm not one to quickly believe flying forwards but in this case, it is genuine. The main denominator