BY :ANTARA & JAYANTY NADA SHOFA JAKARTA GLOBE MON, DECEMBER 28, 2020

A woman in a mask passes by the Petronas Twin Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sep. 10, 2019. (Antara Photo/Rafiuddin Abdul Rahman)

JAKARTA – The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur has requested the Royal Malaysia Police, or PDRM, to investigate the perpetrator behind a parody video of the national anthem “Indonesia Raya.”

A Youtube parody titled “Indonesia Raya Instrumental (Parody+Lyrics Video)” has come under fire among Indonesian netizens. The original video was uploaded on Youtube by an account named MY Asean with the Malaysian flag as their profile picture. Because of this, many suspects the perpetrator is a Malaysian citizen. The hashtag #IndonesiaRaya is even trending on Twitter, with Indonesians demanding an apology from the neighboring country.

In response to the issue, the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur immediately took action.

“We have contacted the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and the PDRM will conduct an investigation,” the embassy’s information, social and cultural function coordinator Yoshi Iskandar told news outlet Antara on Monday.

According to Yoshi, the embassy learned of the parody video on Sunday, after receiving public reports.

“Once the video surfaced, we immediately coordinated with the PDRM and the Foreign Affairs Ministry. From there, the Malaysian Embassy released a statement. This is the result of our coordination with the ministry to cool down the situation that is currently going viral on media with numerous comments,” Yoshi said.

The envoy said the embassy would resolve the issue following the applicable legal corridors. The embassy has trusted this issue to Malaysia and the PDRM for further investigation. Yoshi asked the public to refrain from making a counterattack and possibly to add fuel to the fire.

“[…] It is sensitive, provocative, and can affect the people-to-people relation as well as Indonesia-Malaysia good relations. So do not let [the video] get to you. We have trusted this to the law [enforcement], and their responses are quick. We appreciate it,” Yoshi said.

The Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta has also expressed similar concerns about the parody’s impact on the bilateral ties. 

“If it is found that a Malaysian citizen uploaded the video, strict action will be taken based on existing laws. The government of Malaysia strongly condemns any negative provocations that are intended to affect the close bilateral relations between Malaysia and Indonesia,” the embassy said in a press statement.

The original video lasts a minute and 31 seconds and has been taken down from Youtube. MY Asean channel is also nowhere to be found on the platform. Even so, a screen recording of the parody is still circulating on social media.

The video has the Indonesian flag as its background and replaces the national emblem Garuda Pancasila with a rooster. On each side is a cartoon boy urinating. The parody changes the lyrics to mockeries of Indonesia. It even mocks President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and founding father Soekarno. There are also rooster crowing sounds throughout the song.

https://jakartaglobe.id/news/malaysian-police-to-investigate-video-mocking-indonesia-raya-on-embassys-request

SOURCE: JAKARTA GLOBE, INDONESIA MON, DECEMBER 28, 2020

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