Malaysian Transportation Official Calls Jakarta a 'Substandard City'

How do you reignite a rivalry? Calling the capital cities of two countries "backwards" is a good start.

That's exactly what Malaysia's deputy transportation minister decided to do during an interview about a government crackdown on illegal motorcycle taxis in the traffic-prone Kuala Lumpur metro area. The minister, Ab Aziz Kaprawi, said that the government was working to make KL a modern city like Singapore, and that motorcycle taxis were only found in "backwards" cities like Bangkok and Jakarta.

"We don't want to be a substandard city like in Jakarta, Indonesia that relies on motorcycles as a mode of public transport," Ab Aziz told the Malay Mail Online. "We don't want Kuala Lumpur to go backwards, we want to be on par with Singapore and London."

The deputy minister's comments will likely inspire anger in the Indonesian capital—a city so congested that the ojek, or motorcycle taxi, is often the best way to get across town without wasting hours in gridlock. Cities like Jakarta and Bangkok depend on motorcycle taxis to cut through rush hour traffic. But Malaysia officials believe that the two-wheeled taxis are too dangerous to operate in the city.

"We have never allowed for motorcycles to be a taxi service," Ab Aziz said. "This is because of safety reasons, there are a lot of factors that can be dangerous."

The minister was answering questions about why the government had banned a local company called Dego Ride that began offering people rides on motorcycles via WhatsApp. The company, styled after Indonesia's GO-JEK and Malaysia's Grab, was told to switch to low-powered autos that are licensed to operate as "mini-taxis" instead. It had 6,000 drivers at the time of the stop-order from the government.

"A small car is okay but motorcycles are dangerous," Ab Aziz said.

Some drivers have allegedly ignored the order and were still offering rides on Monday. Those caught face as much as 10,000 Malaysian ringgit (Rp 29.9 million) in fines and up to two years in jail.

The comments inspired mixed reactions in Indonesia.

"Indonesia is not Malaysia," wrote Yulius Bhele on Facebook. "To each his own. We're Indonesia, we're governing the country the Indonesia way, according to our culture and customs."

Others were more understanding of the transportation official's sentiment.

"Motorbikes used as public transportation modes is counter-intuitive," wrote Hardy Kelana on Facebook. "I agree with Malaysia. Other countries are trying to change their cities to be more modern and beautiful… that's what everyone's doing and I wonder if our government is thinking about the same thing?"

The official's comments came after a period of relatively rosy relations between the two nations. Indonesia and Malaysia typically share a contentious relationship and a long history of flying off the handle at every perceived slight or insult. The two countries share a cultural and ethnic history, but have remained divided by colonial borders for centuries. This shared heritage has left both countries with competing claims to the same cultural artifacts and cuisines.

In recent years, rival claims over the ownership of batik, rendang, traditional dance, folk songs, and bamboo instruments have set off diplomatic rows and protests in Indonesia. The abuse and mistreatment of Indonesian maids working in Malaysia remains a sore spot between the two countries.

Malaysia has long stood accused of cultural appropriation, a claim that the country denies. But decades of insults, territorial disputes, and a three-year-long conflict that opposed Malaysia's very creation means that old rivalries die hard. And calling the Indonesian capital "backwards" is going to do little to repair this relationship.