Malaysia & Indonesia: My Sketch of Life

Last week I gave a presentation at the Indonesian language class on the similarities and the differences between Malaysia and Indonesia from my own perspective. The talk was not at all academic and was very informal, and was based mainly from my own experiences and assumptions. The impetus for the talk started when the Indonesian language coordinator, Amelia, approached me with an idea of presenting her students with the comparison between the two countries as some of them are actually focusing on Malaysia for their research. Since Bahasa Malaysia is not offered in any universities in the US, students of Malaysia have to content with learning Bahasa Indonesia with hopes that it will be enough to carry them through their research. Despite the significant similarities between the two countries there are various idiosyncracies scholars of both countries have to navigate through and be cognizant of, lest they suffer the humiliation of cultural and linguistic faux pas.

My talk was basically broken down to three aspects of differences--though there are certainly many more--with a brief intro of similarities. And before I forget, my talk was completely done in Bahasa Indonesia as one of the objectives was to test the students' verbal comprehension. The three aspects of differences I talked about were language, people, and food. I told my audience repeatedly that since the points I made were merely from my own observations and life experiences, they should not be taken at the face value.

I think the difference is the most stark when one gets to the colloquial level of both languages. The language part of my talk highlighted the different words used in both countries to describe the same objects or actions. The obvious example is CAR. In Malaysia it's kereta, but in Indo it's mobil and kereta in Indo is TRAIN. Many Malaysians mix these words up when they go to Indo. Another example is NEWSPAPER. In Malaysia it's called suratkhabar but in Indo it's koran. Malaysians, when they first heard the word koran used for newspaper would stood agape and perplexed at the perceived desecration of the Islamic holy book al-Qur'an. Rest assured that is not the origin of the word. The word koran comes from the French word courant, which among its other meanings, is news gazette. Another aspect of linguistic gap is the difference in connotations of the very same words in both countries. For example the words pantat and butuh, which are very negative slangs in Malaysia but in Indo they are common words used in a very harmless context. I remember this one year I was traveling in Java with my Indonesian aunts and we stopped for bathroom break and food. As they all got out of the car one of them stretched her body and loudly proclaimed that: "Waduh, pantatku panas sekali!"--obviously from sitting in the car for too long. I wasn't able to contain my bemusement and just burst out laughing right then and there while my aunts looked confused. I later told them what pantat actually means in Malaysia and they then made a vow not to use that word in front of me again or when they are ever in Malaysia.

I also talked about the food in both countries and I told the audience that by far I believe that Malaysian food is better than Indonesian. I wasn't actually talking about the quality of the food itself but simply the choices one is being presented with, and the accessibility and affordability of these choices. At the risk of sounding hyper-nationalistic, when it comes to food Malaysia simply has many more choices--and better ones too. As a big fan of mamak stalls, I gave the example of Indian food. Even in such cosmopolitan city like Jakarta it's really hard to find cheap Indian food. And also due to Malaysia's close geographic proximity with Thailand there is a heavy Thai influence in its cuisine. Thanks to the sizeable Chinese population Malaysia is known for Chinese cuisine, especially the southern variations. The Indo teachers feigned annoyance when I expounded on the food differences and "warned" me not to ever come to their office again to eat--they all take turn to cook and bring food to the office everyday. Despite the stern warning--in the middle of the talk, mind you!--I still went up to their office after my presentation to eat lunch.

One final observation is about people and I told the audience that, based on my experience, Indonesians in general are more patient. The example I used was traffic jams. Ever seen those angry faces of KL drivers during the evening rush hour? Now, try sitting in an Indonesian traffic jams (macet) and observe how patient and calm the drivers are in general despite all the honkings and high-beamings. This slice of Indonesia never ceases to amaze me however many times I'm there. I also made a point that Indonesian girls, especially the Sundanese, are much more approachable, friendlier, and less stuck-up--and in my opinion, prettier. This observation is, of course, my own and has no empirical basis at all. Before any of you Malaysian girls send me death threats and hate mails I'd like to provide two perfectly good reasons why I said what I said. One, of course there are many pretty girls in Indonesia because its population is ten times bigger than Malaysia. Duh! Second, since all four Indonesian language teachers are female, I see my statement as a form of flattery and also as a way to make up for my previous critique on Indonesian food. Yes, I was trying to be slick but I still think there is a grain of truth in my assertion. So guys, don't just take my word for it. Go to Indonesia and find out for yourself.

Anyway, I'll be leaving for Indonesia in two days and I simply can't wait. Packing is such a drag and I'm sure that I'll be paying through the nose for excess baggage.