Viral Song In Malaysian Animated Video Change 'Hello-halo Bandung' To 'Hello Kuala Lumpur,' Ministry Of Foreign Affairs: No Need To Be Reactive

The video clip for the song Hello Kuala Lumpur which is suspected to be a plagiarism of the song Hello Halo Bandung from Indonesia, on the YouTube page of the Song Kanak TV. (ANTARA/Yazinta Difa)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government considers the issue of the song Halo-Halo Bandung which is allegedly plagiarized by Malaysia in a video widely circulated on YouTube, not a sensitive issue that affects bilateral relations between the two countries. "This is the one who does (private) personal, not the (Malaysia) government. So the Indonesian government does not need to be too reactive to this,” said Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lalu Muhamad Iqbal when met in Jakarta, Antara, Thursday, September 14. Malaysia allegedly claimed the song Halo-Halo Bandung created by Ismail Marzuki in an animated video clip entitled Hello Kuala Lumpur which was uploaded to the YouTube account of the Song Kanak TV. The tone and melody of the song in the video are very similar to Halo-Halo Bandung, but with the lyrics being changed. The appearance of the video invites protests from social media users in Indonesia, because this is not the first time Indonesian cultural products have been claimed by Malaysia. Previously, the Indonesian song entitled Rasa Sayange was also claimed by Malaysia. Regarding the issue, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that the party claiming Rasa Sayang did not understand history, even though he thought the song was clearly from Indonesia.

"Jadi posisi pemerintah Malaysia sangat jelas, mereka menghargai apa yang Indonesia miliki,"” ujar jubir Iqbal.