M'SIANS, INDONESIANS HAVE RIGHT TO CHAMPION THEIR OWN CULTURE

From Elmi Rizal Alias

PADANG, Dec 7 (Bernama) -- Malaysians and Indonesians should be seen as
having the right to champion their own cultural heritage which have many
similarities since time immemorial.

Malaysian Information Communication and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim
said the people of both countries should not stake claims over such cultural
heritage that had been inherited through generations.

He said this was because many of the Javanese and Minangkabau who originated
from Indonesia had migrated to Malaysia since hundreds of years ago and had been
practising their culture in their new place.

"Therefore, no group should stake claims when it comes to cultural
migration; that the cultural forms belong to them only.

"It had been up to the migrating community (whether to continue practising
their culture in their new place)," said Rais after attending the ceremony to
mark the appointment of Marlis Rahman as the new governor of West Sumatra, here,
Monday.

Rais was accompanied by his wife Masnah Rais.

Marlis replaces Gamawan Fauzi who has been appointed Home Affairs Minister
in Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Cabinet.

Rais said what Malaysians and Indonesians should do in future was to jointly
promote their culture which was actually their strength despite the possible
existence of groups suspicious of the development.

"Cultural exhange programmes will be good for both countries, and God
willing, we will later include writers in the programmes."

Rais hoped that claims over cultural heritage ownership would cease and the
people of both countries should instead find ways to strengthen ties through
exchanges in culture and the arts.

"If there are voices making such cultural heritage claims, I say to them
that I speak the Malay language, which is also Bahasa Indonesia, and spoken by
over 300 million people in the Malay Archipelago.

"No one can stake claims over the language. And language is culture," he
said.

On the unnecessity of staking culture claims, Rais cited the Chinese lion
dance which was performed everywhere including in London and New York, but the
people of China would not claim that it belonged to them only.

"There is also no cultural issue between the United Kingdom and United
States. There is English culture in American culture."

Rais also said that his ministry would promote more cultural programmes
between Malaysia and Indonesia soon.

-- BERNAMA