By Balan Moses

THE Indonesian journalists I have met in numerous international forums abroad and meetings in Malaysia have invariably been nothing short of gentlemen who could break out in song at the drop of a coin.

Indeed, others would be hard put to stop them from stretching their vocal chords with the Bataks of Sumatra thrilling the crowd with their superb melodies, sung in parts to boot.

Often, Malaysians and Indonesians would jointly present songs like Rasa Sayang Eh and Gelang Sipaku Gelang at the end of our jaunts abroad or encounters in Malaysia, a sign of the closeness both enjoyed.

Of course, the fact that we could communicate with each other in a common language (well, almost) was a plus point when we wanted to discuss delicate matters during international conferences.

Where food was concerned, we would look for the nearest Malaysian/Singaporean restaurant in London (and trust me one would be spoilt for choice) or the closest Indonesian restaurant in New York where they outnumber those run by Malaysians and our immediate neighbours to the south.

Language, food and culture often brought us together abroad, with Indonesian and Malaysian Muslims spending time together if they could at the nearest mosque.

But at the back of my mind I always feared that this was "overseas behaviour" akin to what Malaysians of all races do when they hear Bahasa Malaysia spoken in London, Paris, or any other foreign cities visited.

Many who did not have the time of day for each other in Malaysia because of their different ethnic backgrounds would be chatting away like long-lost friends, exchanging phone numbers from home that would never be rung.

All involved probably knew this but played along as the newfound commonalities gave them a camaraderie that was clearly ephemeral but still vital in a strange place halfway across the word.

But this "craziness" abroad transforms into another form of madness, quite frankly from the Indonesian perspective, when we return to our respective homes.

I have always wondered why some Indonesian media went amok (the word is from the Malay language and belongs to this side of the Malay Archipelago) at the slightest incident involving Indonesians in Malaysia.

If an Indonesian domestic help is abused by a Malaysian (an obscure event at best, I might add, that is given wide publicity by the Malaysian media to put the perpetrator to shame), the Jalur Gemilang is stamped upon and burnt in Jakarta.

If a television channel got the origins of a Balinese dance wrong, the Malaysian embassy in the Indonesian capital is pelted with rotten eggs and Malaysian are hunted down on its streets.

If Malaysia declined to raise the salaries of maids at the Indonesian government's behest, a temporary freeze is invoked on the exit of maids to Malaysia.

Why this overreaction among a small segment of the Indonesian population who most certainly do not speak for the vast and silent majority in the Indonesian archipelago?

A common whipping boy is always found in Malaysia, never mind the fact that millions of ringgit are repatriated monthly by the million-odd Indonesians working here.

The Malaysia-Indonesia Journalists Solidarity Alliance (MIJSA), therefore, has its priorities spot-on in seeking common ground to end the uneasiness on both sides.

It is refreshing to note that Indonesian editors in the alliance have agreed to reduce the rhetoric on contentious issues involving Malaysia.

This is a welcome start to a new role that the Indonesian media could play in bringing both nations closer together in spirit and in reality, too.

On the Malaysian side, even the most hard-boiled sceptic will agree that Malaysian media has been more than moderate in its stance where issues involving Indonesia have been concerned.

We realise that there is strength in unity between "cousins" despite the occasional hiccup that is wont to make its presence felt.

I would like to suggest that the envoys in the respective federal capitals get their teams, and acts, together to put into motion a long-term strategy to help Indonesians understand Malaysians and vice-versa.

Datuk Zainal Abidin Mohamed Zain in Jakarta and Gen (R) Tan Sri Da'i Bachtiar in Kuala Lumpur have their work cut out for them as they try to formulate plans to identify common ground that could provide the basis for better bilateral relations.

They have to go beyond the peripherals like the annual national day banquet to real programmes to introduce their nations.

In the final analysis, nothing will be achieved if the people of both lands don't understand and accept each other for who they are despite excellent diplomatic relations.

Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman has suggested more sports and games to promote firmer ties between the nations.

We could also start to offer aid to Indonesians at the mercy of perennial poverty, ill-health or natural catastrophes like we did when the tsunami-hit Acheh.

Of course, we don't have to wait for catastrophes to hit to help as we can follow up on cases of people needing urgent aid for a variety of problems that the Indonesian dailies will surely be highlighting on a regular basis like the New Straits Times and other Malaysian dailies.

The bottomline: There is no "big brother" or "younger brother" when it comes to helping one another out in difficult times.

--New Straits Times