BANDUNG: The uproar over Malaysia claiming the pendet dance is over and the matter is considered resolved following explanations from the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities.
Malaysian Embassy in Indonesia head of chancery Raja Reza Raja Zaib Shah said the 6,000 Malaysian students at 13 universities in Indonesia should no longer worry about anti-Malaysia sentiment.
“The issue can be regarded as closed and should not be given any attention. This is because the allegations were not true as Malaysia has never claimed ownership of the Pendet dance which originated from Bali,” he said.
Raja Reza said this at a Hari Raya gathering for over 200 medical students at Universiti Padjajaran here on Wednesday.
He said the Pulau Jemur issue was also resolved as Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman and his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda explained that there were three islands with the same name and one was owned by Malaysia and was located in Selangor waters.
Emotions in Indonesia boiled over when a promotional clip aired on television depicted the pendet dance, a Balinese dance, and Pulau Jemur as belonging to Malaysia.
Raja Reza said the two ministers at a joint press conference in Jakarta last Thursday had stated that the Indonesian media did not consider all the facts before writing reports which stirred up anti-Malaysia sentiment.
Malaysian Students Department in Indonesia director Dr Junaidi Abu Bakar said Malaysian students showed their maturity and did not react to the negative reports in the Indonesian media.
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