Jerebu and Manohara

Living in KL today is not as comfortable as long time ago. Particularly when today “smog” covers the beautiful sky of KL. Global warming? Yes of course everybody knows about it. The sudden hourly changed weather; hot and cold. The changes of colour of the sky; blue, cloudy, dark. It makes us, the ladies in this hostel confuse whether to wash or not, to spread out the cloth in the sun to dry or not. To wash up the cloth and dry it up using wash machine in IIUM hostel is last option, yeah… considering that for the time being my clothes have being “bitten” by that machine. The button was pulled out, the embroidery was ripped out. Tragic,huh? ^_^ But in the case of emergency or exam period coming, I’ll use it again though. Hehehe…

Unfortunately, people here in Malaysia knows well that the real immediate cause of hourly changing of KL sky is imported smog from Sumatra. Sigh… Particularly from Riau! My beloved province, where I and my family live! Grr… What irresponsible person have done with the jungle… illegal logging, opening the jungle and burning it and pleasantly leave the fire uncontrolled so that the fire spread out!!

My Malaysian friend someday commented: “This Jerebu (smog in Malay language) was imported from your country, Win”. This comment is annoying as sentimental as “Indon” call or shout. It is like been marginalized and putting me into the corner. Almost one year I’ve been living in Malaysia, this feeling doesn’t emerge. I have many good Malaysian friends here in IIUM. The majority is postgraduate students who highly educated person and the lecturers are also very accommodative and anticipative. They more understands than other Malay people out there, that such sentiment between Indonesian-Malaysian should not played up or greatly exaggerated.

The “Jerebu” is not only matter gapping Malaysian-Indonesian. Beside the fights about the patent, copyright of songs and cultural products (batik, wayang etc), Manohara is also the best nowadays topic of sentimental story between Indonesia-Malaysia. I also shocked with this triangle story; this lady, her mom and Pangeran Kelantan. Only my family and friends in Indonesia who are not bored to teasing me around with kind of question “Win, how’s Manohara? Be careful there, ok!” Is it effect of intensive Indonesian media exaggeration or what? Here in KL, I don’t follow updated news of any kind of conflict Malaysian-Indonesia. That’s why even I myself who’s staying in KL don’t know about it. Coz it just wastes my time to follow this kind of topic.

But finally i feel it...The most shocking one -when I went back to my city, Pekanbaru- is this Manohara lady will play in a movie titled “Manohara” which tell the story of her tragedy as the wife of Pangeran Kelantan. What? Who is the right one now? At a glance it is likely tendencious story. Hmm… I don’t know! Anyway… The movie is coming soon…

I don’t take into consideration at all with “Indon” call or other sentimental comment until it just appears recently when I enter Malaysia returning from holiday. The immigration officer behaved like I am a labor force and she treated me like nothing good in me. Hmm… I just shocked that time what’s wrong with this lady. At least we are the same, she is human and me too. She is Muslimah (she wears hijab) and me too! Isn’t Islamic identity enough to be motive point in uniting Malaysian-Indonesian?

Anyway I don’t care… Which one is nicer? To be Indonesian or Malaysian? I’d rather claim and confess myself as A MOSLEM!! ^_^



Information: About 6 hours after i wrote this posting, there are 7 referrals, those who entered this blog by googling under keyword "manohara, jerebu, jerebu sumatra, indon movie" . See... coz today jerebu sangat laaa.... :(