<\/p>\ntheir first retreat together<\/p>\n
<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Wearing batik is not just about fashion and trends, said Dr Azhar Ibrahim, a senior lecturer at the Department of Malay Studies at the National University of Singapore.<\/p>\n
It communicates familiarity and understanding, and represents an alignment with the cultural aesthetics of the wider Nusantara, he said. Nusantara is an old Javanese term used to refer to both the Indonesian archipelago and the wider Malay archipelago.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsing a \u2018batik cultural universe\u2019 as part of our diplomacy is like a common language, in print and style,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a gesture of cultural camaraderie and a point where we can come together, despite differences.\u201d<\/p>\n
The textile art form is usually defined by the use of resist-dyeing techniques to mark out patterns using a substance, usually wax, before the cloth is dyed. This creates patterns of dyed and undyed cloth, often with many layers of colour.<\/p>\n
At the recent meeting, PM Wong appeared to be wearing tenun, a different textile common in the region, said Ms Oniatta Effendi, founder of batik retailer Baju by Oniatta and Galeri Tokokita. <\/p>\n
Museum docent and storyteller Hafiz Rashid concurred, adding that Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan was wearing a batik piece with floral and bird motifs. <\/p>\n
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong\u2019s batik shirt carried a motif known as tambal \u2013 a pattern representing protection, healing and restoration, said Ms Oniatta. <\/p>\n
The textiles they chose \u201cgravitate towards safe and elegant patterns, florals and geometrics, and classic weaves\u201d, she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are garments that do not carry heavy cosmological or power-laden meanings. The message they send is one of respect, cultural literacy and regional awareness rather than authority through motif.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the Malaysian side, leaders appeared to be in pieces from Malaysian batik producers in support of their domestic industry, she noted. <\/p>\n
But batik is not always politically neutral. Historically, its associated patterns and motifs have been intertwined with power, wealth and politics. <\/p>\n
Mr Hafiz said that in the past, textiles across South-east Asian societies were more than garments \u2013 they were a form of portable wealth and often used as informal currency in lieu of cash. <\/p>\n
Ms Oniatta said that in Java, Indonesia\u2019s largest island and home of its largest ethnic group, the Javanese, certain motifs were once reserved for royalty, so the cloth itself carried authority and status.<\/p>\n
One example of this is the \u201cparang\u201d motif, comprising intertwined S-shapes that repeat across the cloth, which was once reserved for royalty and used in some instances to denote rank. <\/p>\n
Dr Azhar said this system of codes and taboos is no longer in practice except in court ceremonies, but the significance has shifted to the political arena. <\/p>\n
For example, former Indonesian president Joko Widodo used batik on various occasions to communicate power dynamics to his audience, he noted. <\/p>\n\n\nFormer Indonesian president Joko Widodo used batik on various occasions to communicate power dynamics to his audience.<\/p>\n
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
In the modern era, it has also become a tool of diplomacy.<\/p>\n
Post-World War II, Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean leaders adopted their own styles of dress, noted Dr Azhar. <\/p>\n
In Indonesia, former president Sukarno was often seen in military-style clothing, while Malaysian leaders like Tun Abdul Razak would commonly wear a safari-cut shirt and jacket. <\/p>\n
Singapore\u2019s leaders were often seen in a white shirt with or without a jacket. But today, batik is worn at official functions and regional meetings, and at official and public initiatives, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe batik cultural universe is essentially a new phenomenon, in the era of nation-states building and affiliating their identities.\u201d<\/p>\n
NUS cultural geographer T.C. Chang said batik has been worn at regional and bilateral summits beyond the Singapore-Malaysia Leaders\u2019 Retreat. <\/p>\n
In 1994, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bogor, Indonesia, leaders from the grouping\u2019s 21 economies, including then US President Bill Clinton, Indonesian President Suharto, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, were pictured wearing the textile. <\/p>\n\n\nWorld leaders at the 1994 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bogor, Indonesia, were dressed in batik.<\/p>\n
PHOTO: ST FILE<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
In Singapore, politicians like former president Ong Teng Cheong were pioneers in wearing the fabric, noted Prof Chang. <\/p>\n
From the late 1980s, when he was Deputy Prime Minister and NTUC secretary-general, Mr Ong wore orchid-print shirts on many occasions, including National Day celebrations when he later became president. <\/p>\n\n\nFormer president Ong Teng Cheong, then 57, celebrating his presidential election victory in 1993. With him was his wife Ling Siew May.<\/p>\n
PHOTO: ST FILE<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
When used in the region, batik has become a sign of respect and understanding. <\/p>\n
Dr Azhar said: \u201cWhen our leaders meet their counterparts from Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, it says, \u2018I\u2019m also familiar with your culture and aesthetics.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Singapore\u2019s connection to batik remains a relational one, Ms Oniatta noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not have the craft lineage; we do not have the land, the workshops or the communities of makers. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut many of us carry diasporic roots from the archipelago, and batik sits in our lived memory.\u201d<\/p>\n
To her, when Singapore\u2019s leaders wear the fabric, it signals an understanding of the heritage that shaped the region and that Singapore chooses to carry these relationships with respect. <\/p>\n
\u201cOn a leader or an everyday person, batik becomes a message of cultural literacy, dignity and regional belonging.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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