Dispute Over Mandailing Culture Unwarranted, Says Lecturer

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya JAKARTA (Indonesia), June 20 (Bernama) -- An ethnomusicology lecturer has asked the Indonesian government and people not to dispute the decision of the Mandailing community in Malaysia to declare the Tor-tor dance and Gordang Sambilan (nine great drumbeats) as their cultural heritage. Rizaldi Siagian said the people of Mandailing descent, who have become part of the Malaysian community, were entitled to maintain their culture. He said as culture was part of a community's heritage, not that of a country, it should not be turned into a national problem. As culture is owned by a community, it transcends boundaries, he said, adding that if a Javanese community in London was entitled to maintain their ancestral culture in their adopted homeland. "Culture should not be misconstrued. It should not be blown out of proportion as it is not at issue at all," Rizaldi was quoted by ANTARA news agency as saying. Information, Communications and Culture Minister of Malaysia Dr Rais Yatim had said the Mandailing's Tor-tor dance and the Gordang Sambilan would be gazetted as national heritage under Section 67 of the National Heritage Act 2005 amid brickbat from Indonesian media. Malaysia had clarified to the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur that the registration was not meant to imply that the culture belonged to Malaysia, but would rather expound that the culture originated from Mandailing, North Sumatra. The people of Mandailing descent settled down in Malaysia since 200 years ago, even before the formation of Indonesia and Malaysia. --BERNAMA