Indonesian actor and model Boy Hamzah has drawn criticism from Malaysians after claiming that Malaysia would not exist without Indonesia, a remark he made while responding to calls in Malaysia to boycott Indonesian products. The comment was one part of a longer video on Instagram and it landed in the middle of a dispute that had nothing to do with history when it started.
How a football meme became a boycott
As explained by Malay Mail, the dispute began after Indonesia beat Thailand on penalties to win the inaugural Fifa Asean Cup on October 5. Indonesian men’s grooming brand Kahf then posted a meme on Threads reading “Hati-Hati Beda Level”, which means “Careful, different levels”, with the Indonesian flag placed above those of Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and several other countries. Many Malaysians read it as belittling Indonesia’s neighbours, and although the post was deleted and Kahf apologised, the hashtag #BoikotKahf kept circulating, some users targeted its sister brand Wardah and a few shared videos of themselves throwing the products away.
What Boy Hamzah said
Boy’s first argument was about numbers, pointing out that Malaysia has around 34 million people against Indonesia’s 290 million, so a Malaysian boycott would barely register for Indonesian brands. Malaysian commentators pushed back on that, noting that Malaysia’s higher purchasing power still makes its consumers a valuable market.
He then brought up the Malacca Sultanate and Parameswara, arguing that Malaysia’s early Malay sultanates were founded or influenced by figures from areas that are now part of Indonesia.
In remarks reported by Beautiful Nara, he told Malaysians: “Kamu sudah kalah. Sejak awal lagi, nenek moyang kamu diperintah oleh orang yang berasal dari Indonesia.” In English: “You have already lost. From the very beginning, your ancestors were ruled by people who came from Indonesia.”
The history he used
Several reports described the argument as too simple. The Rakyat Post noted that modern Malaysia and Indonesia did not exist as nation states in Parameswara’s time, and that places such as Palembang belonged to a wider Malay world long before today’s borders were drawn. TRP also pointed out that when Malaysia was formed in 1963, Indonesia was not part of it. President Sukarno opposed the new federation and the Konfrontasi that followed only ended in 1966. The claim reaches for a shared past to settle a present-day argument, but the same past does not support the conclusion he drew from it.
Voices asking for calm
Malaysian actor Kamal Adli criticised the remarks and said the situation should not turn into personal attacks against an entire country, later urging Malaysians not to respond to provocation and warning that a dispute that started over football and products should not damage relations between both countries. Sharnaaz Ahmad urged both sides not to let online disagreements undermine their longstanding ties, while Alif Satar, a Kahf ambassador who had already distanced himself from the original post, asked people to respect differences of opinion without insulting each other.
What began as banter over a trophy has stretched into arguments about history, national identity and spending power. When the original offence has already been apologised for, what is the argument actually about by the time it reaches the Malacca Sultanate?
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‘I gave up my family to pursue my dreams’ Shares 34 YO M’sian woman
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