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It's good to hear of this news (link below) where Filipino Badjao /Bajau boat-builders have built a sea-worthy replica of the traditional Balangay boat using methods handed down from generation to generation. The Filipinos, like the native Malay of Malaysia, are basically the same ethnic Malayo-Polynesian family as us in Indonesia. These modern nations are just artificial political divisions created by the Colonial Dutch, British and Spanish - curse them all. Any triumph of the Filipinos, especially of things prior to the colonial interference, is a triumph of Indonesians as well, as we were one region peacefully connecting and trading with each other for millennia until the colonial disruption. The Bajau seafaring people are found in all three Malay-based countries; Philippines south, Malaysia (Sabah) and Indonesia's north-eastern Kalimantan coasts. The balangay ship may even travel to Madagascar island (once also known as Malagasy Republic) off Africa's east coast. Malaysian researchers have confirmed that the Madagaskars' ancestors came from the Malay Archipelago, quite likely Borneo via Sumatera from the linguistic roots, at least 1000 years ago if not much earlier. They may have even sailed from the Malay world using ships or boats like the Balangay or the Borobudur-inspired outrigger replica 'Samudra Raksa' below, which already made the journey to Africa in 2003-2004. 
Why don't we have even more of these historic and anthropological research or efforts from Indonesians themselves, since we are the biggest Malayo-Polynesian country? Even that Borobudur-inspired ship was spearheaded by Westerners, although there were Indonesians involved (including the main ship-builder Pak Assad Abdullah Al-Madani) but not leading the overall project. Sigh, we are too embroiled in our own problems just to survive daily... Anyway, long live the Balangay, and the Malay! 
So Indonesia has banned sending our desperately unemployed women to Malaysia to work as maids! Sure it's in reaction to the recent horribly abusive treatment of some Indonesian maids by their Malaysian employees. But isn't this over-reacting? Let's look at the overall facts (you can verify these over proper non-partisan 'Net reports). 1. There are over 450,000 Indonesian maids working in Malaysia, and more who have finished and came back with good money (billions of Rupiah!), good memories and experience. The few bad incidents make a small percentage, and shouldn't mean our people cannot work anymore in a close neighbouring country that benefits all parties. We just need to ensure that the victims get fair treatment when it happens.2. The maids were abused not because they are Indonesian per se! It was the bad personality of their employers who were impatient and abusive. Hello? We have those kind of employers in Indonesia too who also abuse their maids right here in the country. Why no noise from our leaders and masses on these internal abuses?3. The Malaysian authorities have actually done their level best to ensure care for the victim and punishment for the abuser. They didn't hide it or justify it, their police apprehended the culprits and their courts tried the cases openly with Indonesians present to see. Hey, this is much better than if the same thing happens here with the korupsi of our Polisi and our Pengadilan.4. Our Indonesian people are not all angels in Malaysia. There are so many cases of Indonesians in Malaysia committing burglary, snatch thefts and even some maids stealing from their own employers. Who are the abusers? Ini kan bikin malu sama kita juga, dong? We Indonesians shouldn't be so one-sided and blinded by 'national pride' yang nggak bertempat lagi buta sebelah.5. Let's face it, much of the Indonesian maid abuses were commited by CHINESE Malaysians, not the gentle Malay-Muslims who largely treat their maids like family members. It's the Chinese who are aggressive, abusive and have no respect for the native Southeast Asians whether it's in Malaysia, Philippines or even here in Indonesia. By the way, this is not a racist statement as I'm half Chinese Indonesian myself, so I know.6. Haven't Indonesian workers been abused in other countries all this while - even more and even worse? There have been horror reports of Indonesian maids abused regularly in Singapore and worse, even raped and mutilated in Saudi Arabia, and even by millionaire employers in New York for God's sake. Why now single out Malaysia, where it's not as rampant? 6. If Indonesia doesn't send maids to work in Malaysia, don't think they'll be crippled and beg us forgiveness. I know many Indonesian women will still go through non-formal means as our people are desperate to find work, anywhere and in whatever situation. This is Indonesia's failure: we can't give enough work for our own people and now we prevent them finding work!7. Latest news is the Philippine Government has already contacted Malaysia and ready to fill the void with Muslim Mindanao workers. They have said that they believe the recent maid abuses in Malaysia are NOT systematic and they are prefering to place maids in Malay-Muslim families as these fellow Rumpun Melayu are proven to be non-abusive. What we should do is increase our monitoring of Indonesian workers everywhere, weigh the differences and act accordingly in correct proportion to each case. Why single out less problematic Malaysia where so many of our people benefit, and make little noise about the much more terrible abuse in Arab countries? Waduh kita menembak kaki sendiri koq... Let's be rational. Kalau nggak rasional, kita Indonesia yang rugi deh.
