MALAY’S SOCIETY:SORROWFUL REALITY " A BIG CLAN" IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA

Oleh Wannofri Samry

Very recently, the relationship between the governments of Indonesia and Malaysia has not been so amicable. This is caused by several problems such as frontier conflict, Indonesian labourers (Tenaga Kerja Indonesia) in Malaysia, and the copyrighting of the song “rasa saying-sayange”. These problems has become a serious dilemma in the “Malay” societies in Southeast Asia, like Indonesia, Malaysia, parts of Thailand, Singapore, and Brunei. On the one hand, they feel to belong to a clan or “serumpun”, on the other hand, they all live in different states. They are seen in a different political entity; their political and cultural views interfere.
In resolving this problem, like the case of Indonesia and Malaysia, can be usually solved by a political paradigm. Perspectives on politics always encourage the spirit of patriotism and nationalism. Therefore, both nations become too angry at each other. This conflict can be resolved through a historical perspective. By tracing both countries’ histrocial roots and analyze the value of each state might help in resolving this problem. Thus, the paper wishes to present the truth of the Malay culture and society through historiy and anthropology(Note: Please contact me if you want to read this full paper)