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Despite Peace Talks, Malaysia Tourism Minister Says Native Dishes Being ‘Hijacked’
September 18, 2009

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tamtomo
7:44pm Sep 18, 2009

fido dido:

I believe you said it correctly in your penultimate sentence.

These "baits" , as you mentioned by "fringe ultra-nationalist elements" I strongly believe are surely organized. I do not condone their actions and Indonesian authorities should take swift and drastic measures to terminate future exhibitions of these unlawful gatherings.


fido dido
6:17pm Sep 18, 2009

I am a Malaysian and I think the Tourism minister's act is a total farce. Obviously there's no inter-ministry communication; one minister is trying to defuse the tension while the other is escalating it. There are other important things to do than patenting food. Who cares where the food comes from as long as it tastes great. What the Malaysia's Tourism minister needs to do is to emphasize the common culture between the countries in this region as epitomized by the various race and ethnicity in Malaysia, and not engaging in this juvenile tit-for-tat game. The minister should resist the xenophobic bait laid out by the fringe ultra-nationalist elements in Indonesia. Only with constructive engagement and calm heads will this "controversy" be resolved.


tamtomo
5:26pm Sep 18, 2009

Would it make any differece if I told you that I am not an Indonesian? I could be a Malaysian you know?

Nevertheless, her harebrained claims are becoming

farcical.

ps

My postings was primarily aimed at the remarks the minister made. Can you just stick to the subject and not snipe at third parties?

tiskand
11:08am Sep 18, 2009

Frivolous and puerile ? Something of a joke ? Please look in the mirror, Indonesia !

What's coming next ? Well the Betawi group still carrying out sweeping action can answer that.

tamtomo
7:20am Sep 18, 2009

This is really transpiring into something of a joke!

JG should start a column on "Which's whose, and whose's which." You wouldn't need much research work as all data will be fed easily.

Mind you, a Minister degrading her level to get involved in a frivolous and puerile issue.

What's coming next???


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The cultural heritage games look set to continue with Malaysia now taking its turn by claiming certain dishes, such as laksa and chicken rice, as its own and accusing other countries of “hijacking” them.

“We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food,” Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen said on Thursday according to the Star newspaper. “Chili crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food.”

Other dishes Malaysia claims as its include the fragrant coconut milk rice “nasi lemak,” the spicy soup noodle “laksa” and the pork ribs herbal soup “bak kut teh.”

“In the next three months, we will identify certain key dishes [to be declared as Malaysian]. We have identified laksa — all types of laksa — nasi lemak and bak kut teh,” she said.

Ng said her ministry would announce a strategy on how to brand the dishes as Malaysian.

“That is part two. We cannot reveal it yet, but we will let you know soon,” she reportedly said.

Ng did not name the countries supposedly hijacking the dishes, which are popular around the world and particularly in neighboring Singapore and Indonesia.

Her comments came amid a diplomatic row with Indonesia, where protesters have accused Malaysia of stealing its cultural heritage.

The dispute erupted here in August after erroneous reports emerged that Malaysia had screened tourism advertisements featuring the traditional pendet dance of Bali.

The ad was actually a promotion for a Discovery Channel program, but despite an apology from the network, protesters vowing to “crush Malaysia” burned national flags and threw rotten eggs at the embassy in Jakarta.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman met his Indonesian counterpart, Hassan Wirajuda, in Jakarta on Thursday in a bid to cool tensions between the two countries, which Malaysia has described as a “grave concern.”

Ties between the two countries are regularly punctuated by rows over cultural issues as well as the welfare of Indonesian laborers and maids working in Malaysia. 

AFP