On This Day: Sukarno’s “Ganyang Malaysia”

 

If you think politics today is noisy, spare a thought for 25 September 1963. Just nine days after Malaysia was officially born, Indonesia’s President Sukarno stood in Jakarta and thundered the words “Ganyang Malaysia!” -- Crush Malaysia!

Imagine that. We were still busy adjusting to a new flag, a new anthem, a new country -- and suddenly the neighbour next door was shouting for our downfall. It wasn’t just words either. The years that followed, known as Konfrontasi, saw border clashes, propaganda wars, and the uneasy feeling that independence wasn’t going to be smooth sailing after all.

I can only imagine how tense things must have felt then. And yet, here we are, decades later, Malaysia and Indonesia sharing nasi goreng, sinetron, badminton rivalries, and TikTok trends. We still gaduh, but not to ganyang level lah. 

So today, 25 September, is a reminder: history had its drama, but the future is always about finding common ground.

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