October 15, 2018, 02:56 PM 
Indonesians are taking to social media to denounce a Malaysian beauty pageant finalist’s batik outfit for misappropriation.
Debra Jeanne Poh, 22, a Miss Grand International 2018 finalist, was photographed wearing a cropped batik top with bell sleeves, which is a traditional clothing given a modern twist for a competition event.
"Malaysians stupid"
Indonesians on social media have been leaving negative comments online saying it is inappropriate for Poh to be wearing a top with a batik parang motif, a style native to Indonesia.
One Instagram user wrote: "Hey stupid, that’s our country’s batik."
Another wrote on the same platform: "How poor this Miss Grand International... using other’s country original fabrics. Don’t you have your own?”
Yet another attacked her personally:" Hellooooo miss stupidity ?"
In her defence, Poh's supporters have urged her to look beyond the negativity: "Ignore negative and toxic comments..just trust your journey.. Be confident❤❤❤"
Previous Miss Grand Malaysia 2017 stirred the pot
As the backlash grew, the pot was stirred further when the winner of the Miss Grand Malaysia 2017 title, Sanjeda John, uploaded an Instagram story saying that Indonesians were being "stupid" about the matter.
She wrote: “Gosh, they even want to claim Malaysian batik. My God, please forgive their stupidity.”
However, John made her account private after uploading the Instagram story.
Defends herself
Poh has since come out to set the record straight, reiterating she had never claimed Indonesian batik to be of Malaysian origin.
Speaking about the issue in several Instagram stories uploaded on her account, Poh denied accusations that she "claimed" a Malaysian origin for Indonesian batik.
“First of all, I didn’t claim anything. It’s just a clothing that I wear and I’m very proud of it," she said.
“To all my fans that have been backing me up, thank you so much for your support and time. But seriously, we don’t have to go down to their level so let’s just ignore and pray for the best for them.”
Poh is from Labuan, Sabah.
She will be representing Malaysia at the Miss Grand International final in Myanmar on Oct 25.
Here are some of her photos from the contest:
[related_story]
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