Why does Indonesia like to make a mountain out of a molehill?

Indonesia really shouldn’t make a fuss about minor issues such as the origins of certain foods which are already difficult to trace.

Historian and culturist, Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Nik Safiah Karim said such frivolous disputes should stop as Malaysia and Indonesia share many cultural similarities.

“We don’t know where the popiah (spring rolls) came from, so we assume that Indonesia have its own version and we have ours.

“The fundamentals are the same – flour, stuffing, rolled and then eaten. Indonesia should stop harping on the small things; there are many other development issues that both countries can address besides popiah,” she said when contacted today.

Nik Safiah was commenting on the demonstration by a group of activists known as Forum Masyarakat Peduli Budaya Indonesia (Formasbudi), claiming that spring rolls or ‘lumpia’, as it is known there, was originally from Semarang, a city on the north coast of the Java Island.

The demo was held in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta last Friday.

According to Formasbudi, the lumpia was first introduced by a Chinese man, Tjoa Thay Joe, whom had settled in Semarang and later married a local woman named Mbok Wasi in 1870.

Nik Safiah said Indonesia had raised many ‘senseless’ issues starting from folk dances, songs and now food.

"They (Indonesia) say we copy them, but the fact is, we're the same. We never accuse them of 'stealing' our arts and culture.

"This is what we call similarities in culture but difference in variations... there's no need to make a mountain out of a molehill," she said.

On Sunday, Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz had told Indonesia to stop claiming the spring rolls as theirs.

He said, in return, Malaysia could also question the origins of the Indonesian Language, where there are many Malay elements.