Malaysia's batik industry is asking for promotional support from the government, experts say in response to an instruction from the federal government requiring state civil servants (ASN) to start wearing batik clothes every Thursday. They say Malaysia is not like Indonesia where the use of batik is more cultural and is used in various rituals, festivals and celebrations, while certain styles of batik have been declared by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. "Regardless of how advanced the technology is, batik in Malaysia still needs help to promote the batik industry," Harozila Ramli, a professor at Sultan Idris Education University, told Malay Mail.
"In the textile sector, there is competition in terms of design, technique and type of fabric," said the woman who is an expert on batik matters as quoted by Malay Mail Saturday (26/8/2023).
In Indonesia, batik has a significant economic influence because the industry is an important export that creates many jobs, he added.
JPA said the move was an effort to support Malaysia's batik industry, and preserve batik as part of the cultural heritage and symbol of the nation's identity.
Last year, it was reported that the Selangor Chief Minister would encourage the use of batik clothing by representatives of the local people's council when attending meetings at the federal parliament level.
Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari
Prior to that, in 2021, then president of the State Council, Tan Sri Rais Yatim, allowed members of the Senate to wear batik when attending meetings in the upper house of the Malaysian parliament.
Zubaidah Sual, a textile expert and former curator at the State Museum, is somewhat skeptical about the positive impact the government directive will have on the local batik industry.
According to him, while the government instruction will make ASN wear batik more often, this habit is more out of obligation or coercion and not as a form of appreciation for the art of batik.
"It's different from Indonesians. When they wear batik, they feel like they are fulfilling a responsibility towards their homeland,” he said, adding that Indonesians wear batik so often that they don't care whether it is designed or made overseas.
Zubaidah admitted that she was not sure where the local batik industry was going and she believed that Malaysia would not be able to compete with Indonesia in this industry.
Only a few Malaysian-made batik sell for under RM100 per item, so those who can't afford domestically made batik will look to Indonesian batik which is easily available for as little as RM50, he added. (RM1 approx. IDR3,300)
However, the condition is not entirely bad according to Keith Tan Kay Hin, associate professor of architecture, building and design at Taylor University.
He said that batik production as a home industry had existed in Java for more than 5 centuries to meet the needs of Javanese kingdoms in the 16th century.
In comparison, the mass production of batik in Malaysia only started about 100 years ago, he explained.
“Malaysia's middle-income trap means that most of the affordable clothing on the mass market comes from lower-cost developing countries, where local manufacturers often compete with high-end Western brands which may or may not have factories in Asia. Southeast," he said.
Written batik can be more expensive, but machine-made batik as an alternative is no less beautiful, said Keith Tan Kay Hin.
The Malaysian batik industry is trying to dominate the upper and lower class markets, but the structure of the market size and production costs in Malaysia will find it difficult to match the dominant position of Indonesian batik.
Even so, the batik professor still thinks positively.
“Batik, after all, is just like durian – many people around the world prefer the relatively rare variety from Malaysia over the relatively more common variety from Thailand,” he said.
"Perhaps we can hope the same thing applies to batik – the 'Sang Kancil' effect, where scarcity leads to greater popularity," he added.
Harozila said that the government's instruction to encourage civil servants to wear batik would also ensure the continuation of traditional batik-making techniques, giving local artisans the opportunity to showcase their work, creating economic opportunities within the industry.
Tuesday (22/8/2023), the Public Service Office issued a circular requiring all non-uniform ASN to wear batik every Thursday and encouraging them to also wear the garment on other working days.
