PROUD MOMENT: A model shows off an elaborate piece of Javanese batik Pic by Amarudin Omar

Associated Press reported that Indonesia’s president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has announced a “batik party” to be held in victory.

He urged the country’s 234 million people to put on their best shirts, dresses, louses and sarongs made from batik on that day. He said this would be a way to let the world know that batik comes from Indonesia.

The Indonesian media has been having a field day over the “triumph” over Malaysia, especially after the long spat over Malaysia “plagiarising” Indonesian culture and art, everything from batik to dances and songs. Many Indonesians say the use of batik techniques and motifs by Malaysians is outright plagiarism.

However, Indonesian Heritage Society batik expert Judi Achjadi said the focus of this achievement should not be on Malaysia.

“Malaysia has its own tradition of making the cloth. It does not mean that they have no right to the art form which is also spread across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.”

He said the focus of the achievement shouldn’t be on the “victory” over Malaysia.

Unesco culture specialist Masanori Nagaoka said the recognition for Indonesia’s cloth does not mean other countries cannot claim batik, but simply that Indonesia’s government went to the trouble to submit a nomination.

The Malaysia-Indonesia dispute over culture and art came to a climax when it was thought that Malaysia had claimed the traditional Balinese pendet dance as their own in a Tourism Malaysia commercial. Discovery Channel later clarified that it was a promotional clip it put together, not a Tourism Malaysia commercial.

However, the matter escalated to a more serious level, leading to Indonesians going as far as setting up road blocks in Jakarta to “sweep” Malaysians.

Aside from Malaysia’s claim on batik in 2007, controversy reigned when the Rasa Sayang folk song was used in a Malaysian Tourism commercial, a song that Indonesians claim hails from Maluku island of the Indonesian archipelago.