‘Malay Serumpunism’ – Ambiguities of Inclusions and Exclusions in the Context of

Indonesia – Malaysia Relations and ASEAN 2015

Dave LumentaDept. of Anthropology FISIP UI

Cornerstones of Serumpunism1889 - Dr. Jose Rizal:

Pan-Malayism as anti-colonialism“Liberation of the Malay peoples from colonial rule, a pledge to be made

good first in the Philippines, later to be extended to the inhabitants of Borneo, Indonesia and Malaya.”1925 – Tan Malaka

“ASLIA”: Pan-Asianism & Pan-Islamism as anti-colonialism

1963 – Macapagal, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sukarno“Maphilindo”

“…bound together by close historical ties of race and culture”

1971 – Malaysia National Cultural Congress

1972 – Majelis Bahasa Indonesia – Malaysia ( + Brunei since 1985)

Malaysia’s National Culture Congress held in 1971 adopted three major principles as the basis for Malaysia’s national culture policies:

1. The national culture must be based on the indigenous culture of this region :The region involved covers Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and Cambodia, as well as the South Pacific islands (Polynesia, Melanesia and Oceania) and Malagasy. This whole region has been an important part of Malay civilization and culture. During the height of the Malay civilization era based in Malacca, the Malay language has been used as an international language in trade relations (lingua franca). The culture of this region showed several similarities, in the language used, which was basically the Malay language – Austronesia, the geographical location, historical experience, natural resources, arts and moral values. The Malay culture today is a way of life and symbol of identity of more than 200 million people who speak the same language.

2. Suitable elements from the other culture may be accepted as part of the national culture :…cultural elements of the Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Westerners and others which are considered suitable and acceptable are included in the national culture. Such acceptance must be in accordance with the provisions in the Constitution and the principles of Rukun Negara , as well as national interest, moral values and the position of Islam as the official religion of the country.

(Malaysia National Culture Congress, 1971)

Ambiguities of Inclusion

• Basis of ‘Serumpunism’: Malayness? Islam? The Austronesian / Malayo-Polynesian ‘race’ (from Madagascar/Malagasy to Rapa Nui/Chile)? Proto-state cosmopolitanism which gave birth to Malay as a lingua franca for trade? Values?

‘Sebumi’ poster 2012: Why are the Philippines (except for Mindanao) & Timor Leste excluded?

Rapa Nui

Malagasy Tahiti

Buton

Jawa

Cham

Minang

Sunda

MalayHawai’i

Fordata

Toba

Tagalog

Maori

BugisKaili

Ivatan

Atayal

Mandar

Gorontalo

Tetum

Iban

KadazanTobelo

Ilocano

Aceh

Jarai

Tausug

Bali

Moken

Bajau

AUSTRONESIAN

KETEGANGAN ANTAR ETNIS DI MALAYSIA 1948-69:

1948 – 1956: Malayan Emergency – Etnis Cina & Orang Asli dicap sebagai kolaborator pemberontak

komunis

1965: Kerusuhan Antar Etnis Melayu – Cina di Singapore

1965: Singapore keluar dari Malaysia 13 Mei 1969: Kerusuhan Antar Etnis Melayu – Cina

(+ India) di Kuala Lumpur

Serumpun as a Racial Discourse, Muzium Negara, Kuala Lumpur (2004)

Rapa Nui

Malagasy Tahiti

Buton

Jawa

Cham

Minang

Sunda

MalayHawai’i

Fordata

Toba

Tagalog

Maori

BugisKaili

Ivatan

Atayal

Mandar

Gorontalo

Tetum

Iban

KadazanTobelo

Ilocano

Aceh

Jarai

Tausug

Bali

Moken

Bajau

AUSTRONESIAN

• ‘Austronesians’ is academically not referred to as a race, but as a linguistic grouping, or a culturally-linked diaspora with a hypothetical single origin.)

Rapa Nui

Malagasy Tahiti

Buton

Jawa

Cham

Minang

Sunda

MalayHawai’i

Fordata

Toba

Tagalog

Maori

BugisKaili

Ivatan

Atayal

Mandar

Gorontalo

Tetum

Iban

KadazanTobelo

Ilocano

Aceh

Jarai

Tausug

Bali

Moken

Bajau

“MELAYU”

‘Melayu’

• Indonesian view: aggregation of self-identified ethnic groups occupying north-eastern lowland Sumatra, the Riau islands, coastal West Kalimantan

• Malaysian view: race (e.g. National Culture Congress & Muzium Negara => Austronesians), race + religion (UKM’s Sebumi seminars), religion, customs & language (Constitution).

• Where Islam is not applicable, ‘Bumiputera’ replaces ‘Melayu’ as a denominator of indigeneity (e.g. Sabah, Sarawak), while at the same time ‘Orang Asli’ only qualify as ‘Melayu’ once they converted to Islam.

‘Sebumi’: Academic acceptance of the political construction of ‘race’?

‘Internationalization of the same Malay race descendants…”

Source: http://www.ui.ac.id/en/news/archive/2771

Indonesian academia receptive of “the hegemonic conception of Malayness that has long been complicit in a politically dubious and racialist project in Malaysia." (Curaming 2013: 244)

• Indonesian academia receptive of “the hegemonic conception of Malayness that has long been complicit in a politically dubious and racialist project in Malaysia." (Curaming 2013: 244)

‘Serumpun’ as a contextual mode of exclusion?

• Geo-political context: the West? Singapore? Thailand? Philippines? China? Transnational Chinese?

• Cultural context: exclusion of non-muslim majority Southeast Asian states (Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, etc)?

• National context: Chinese & Indians?

A critique to Serumpunism• ‘Race’, ‘common values’ as academically problematic concepts => essentialism• Malaysia: Serumpun is ideologically divisive at Malaysia’s national level:

implying the exclusion of Indians, Chinese, Christians, Hindus etc.• Malaysia: regional variation: many Bumiputeras in Sarawak and Sabah: don’t

look at themselves as ‘Malay’.• Indonesia: regional variation on the acceptance / self-identification of ‘Malay’

as a collective identity (especially Java, Bali & Eastern Indonesia)• Indonesia’s national identity is not based on racial identity, ethnicity or religion

– but on a common historical experience of being colonized (in many ways related to the influence of Marx). Some may view Serumpunism as regressive.

• Islam is not the only common denominator alienates minorities (in contrast, Christianity is a common identity denominator between interior Kalimantan and Sarawak, or Hinduism between Medan-Penang Tamil communities)

• Is Serumpunism’s parochialism relevant to current global & regional structural challenges (economic, political, social)?

• Is Serumpunism a potential barrier to ASEAN’s contrary goals that strives to create a new common cosmopolitan identity (‘ASEAN community’)