Hello-Hello Bandung Plagiarized As Hello Kuala Lumpur, Commission X Asks The Government To Send A Memorandum Of Protest

Photo by Aaron Lee on Unsplash

JAKARTA - Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives highlighted allegations of plagiarizing the song of the Indonesian region, Hello-Hello Bandung by Malaysia. The song that appeared on one of Malaysia's YouTube channels was made with the same instrument as the song Halo-halo Bandung by Ismail Marzuki.

The excitement of plagiarizing this song is known from the YouTube video of the song Kuala Lumpur which is similar to the song Halo-Hello Bandung. In addition to the instruments, the lyrics of the song Kuala Lumpur are almost the same as Indonesia's Halo-Halo Bandung.

Member of Commission X DPR RI, Andreas Hugo Pareira, assessed that the Government needs to protest to Malaysia regarding the plagiarization of the song Halo-Halo Bandung. Because this plagiarism is not only a copyright violation, but also injures the sense of brotherhood between countries.

"The Director General of Culture can coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to create a protest note to the Malaysian Government," Andreas said, Wednesday, September 13.

The plagiarization of the song Halo-halo Bandung has angered the Indonesian people, including in cyberspace because the video of the song Kuala Lumpur has gone viral. Andreas said that Indonesia deserves to protest because Halo-halo Bandung is one of the songs of State identity because it contains the history of the nation's struggle for independence.

"Because it concerns the song of struggle related to the history of Indonesia's independence struggle. The plagiarism of the song Halo-halo Bandung by Malaysia has tarnished the self-esteem of our country," he said.

Andreas said cultural artwork is a valuable asset owned by a nation. Moreover, the song Halo-halo Bandung was made to commemorate the struggle of the heroes who died while fighting for Indonesia's independence.

"Hello Bandung is the legendary Indonesian song that has become an integral part of Indonesian music culture and history. This song depicts the beauty and memories of the city of Bandung as well as the struggle of heroes in a unique and beautiful way," Andreas explained.

He added that the work of art that is plagiarized or misused certainly injures awards for the culture and wealth of a country. Therefore, according to Andreas, firm action is needed to protect Indonesian original works and copyright.

"The song, music, and cultural arts are expressions of creativity that reflect the identity and heritage of a country. So it is very important for us to maintain the copyright of the nation's cultural arts," he said.

Furthermore, Andreas assessed that Indonesia must be firm in dealing with Malaysia. Because this is not the first time a neighboring country has claimed the cultural heritage of Indonesia.

In the form of regional songs, Malaysia used the song Rasa Sayange for the promotion of tourism entitled Malaysia Truly Asia in 2017. Rasa Sayange is an Indonesian song from Maluku created by the local son, Paulus Pea.

Not only that, Malaysia again used the song Rasa Sayange at the opening of the 2017 SEA Games when Malaysia hosted the sporting event throughout Southeast Asia.

Then Malaysia also previously claimed at least 12 other Indonesian cultural heritages as part of the country's culture. The 12 cultural heritages are Pencak Silat, Wayang Kulit, Piring Dance, Tor-tor Dance, Angklung, Batik, Lunpia/Lumpia Semarang, Godang Samaran musical instrument, Rice Adan to Kuda Lumping.

Although Malaysia has similarities in terms of culture with Indonesia, Andreas assesses that original cultural ownership should not be admitted arbitrarily.

"This is an act that is not only economically detrimental, but also creates tensions between two neighboring countries, including the people of the two nations. Even though as brothers and sisters, Indonesia and Malaysia should work together in maintaining peace and harmony in the region," Andreas explained.

Legislator dari Dapil Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) I ini pun mendorong Pemerintah untuk lebih tegas dalam melindungi karya art dan budaga bangsa. Andreas mengatakan, hal tersebut penting dilakukan agar tidak ada lagi negara lain yang mengklaim kebudayaan nasional Indonesia.

"This is indicated to have entered the realm of violation so that the Government must be able to show its defenses in protecting the nation's cultural arts heritage," he said.

"The state must not remain silent when the nation's pride is trampled on with the unilateral recognition of our culture by other countries. There must be firmness from the government so that things like this don't happen again and again, by the same country," Andreas added.

Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives, which oversees education, arts and culture, assesses that the Government must be more proactive in maintaining cultural heritage. Andreas hopes that there will be further discussions regarding the issue of plagiarizing Indonesian cultural arts with Malaysia to clarify and straighten out the alleged violation.

"This is to ensure justice for both countries. And if the violations are proven true, Malaysia must be willing to recognize and restore the cultural arts it claims to Indonesia," he said.

Andreas said that Malaysia's plagiarism is not only detrimental to the creators of original works, but also robs Indonesia's cultural wealth. He also encouraged the Indonesian people to report if they found similar violations for the sake of upholding the nation's self-esteem.

"We as a nation must unite to maintain our cultural heritage and works of art. This is our responsibility to protect what we have and ensure that the world knows how diverse and rich Indonesian culture is," Andreas concluded.