An advertisement for the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

program ''Enigmatic Malaysia'' in 2009 featured

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

nese Pendet dancers, wrongly identifying the Pendet dance as Malaysian. This mistake caused public outrage in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, leading to protests and requests for an apology from Malaysia.

Background

August 2009: Advertisement and Initial Reactions

The advertisement was created by a private company in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

for Discovery Channel’s *Enigmatic Malaysia* program. The incorrect label of Pendet as a Malaysian dance caused strong reactions in Indonesia, where cultural experts, government officials, and the tourism ministry demanded Malaysia explain the mistake.

August 2009: Apology and Further Issues

The Malaysian government clarified that it was not responsible for the ad, and Discovery Channel later apologized, accepting the blame for the mistake. Indonesia’s tourism minister, Jero Wacik, however, rejected the informal apology over the phone, asking for a formal written apology to make it official.

Reactions

Late August 2009: Media and Public Outrage

Even after Discovery Channel’s apology, Indonesian news outlets continued to report the clip as a Malaysian government advertisement, increasing public anger. Indonesian ultra-nationalist groups, like Gemars, organized protests, collected supplies, and began military-style training for a “war” against Malaysia.

September 2009: Security Alerts and Bendera Threats

In response to these threats, Malaysia’s National Security Council secretary, Datuk Mohamed Tajudeen Abdul Wahab, directed Malaysian military and border patrols to tighten security. This was due to the nationalist group Benteng Demokrasi Rakyat (Bendera), which had previously set up roadblocks in

Menteng Menteng is a district () in the administrative city of Central Jakarta, Indonesia. Menteng is surrounded by the districts of Senen and Matraman to the east, Tebet and Setiabudi to the south, Tanah Abang to the west, and Gambir to the north. ...

, Jakarta. The group threatened to “invade” Malaysia with 1,500 members carrying sharpened bamboo spears via air, land, and sea on 08/10/2009.

University Protests and Flag Burning

Several Indonesian universities saw protests where students burned Malaysian flags, including: * University of Palangka Raya * Pakuan University * Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University * State Islamic Institute (IAIN) of Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin, BantenMAHASISWA BANTEN INJAK-INJAK BENDERA MALAYSIA
/ref> * Muhammadiyah University of Ponorogo *

University of Indonesia The University of Indonesia (UI; ) is a public university in Depok, West Java and Salemba, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is one of the oldest tertiary-level educational institutions in Indonesia (known as the Dutch East Indies when UI was established) ...

Wednesday, 9 March 2005 - detikcom - Gambar Bendera Malaysia Dibakar di Depan Kedubes
/ref> * STIAMI Higher School * August 17 University of Banyuwangi * Sunan Giri University * Riyadlotul Mujahidin Islamic Institute * August 17 University of Samarinda

Diplomatic Communication and Security Assurances

The Malaysian Foreign Minister contacted the Indonesian ambassador to explain Malaysia’s concerns about the safety of Malaysian citizens in Indonesia. In response, Indonesian authorities, including the Chief of the

Indonesian National Police The Indonesian National Police (, abbreviated as POLRI) is the national law enforcement and police force of the Republic of Indonesia. Founded on 1 July 1946, it was formerly a part of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, country's military si ...

, assured Malaysia they would protect Malaysians in Indonesia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pendet controversy 2009 in Indonesia Indonesia–Malaysia relations Television controversies in Indonesia Controversies in Malaysia Discovery Channel 2009 in Malaysia Protests in Indonesia Dance in Indonesia