Does anybody think as I do that often the distinction between Bahasa
Indonesia and Bahasa Melayu (or Malaysia) is more about politics than
linguistics? To what extent is it the opposition (from polemicists and
nationalists) to the notion that Malaysia and Indonesia have an
enormous amount of culture in common that keeps the 2 "languages"
separate?

Clearly there have always been problems in the Indonesian-Malaysia
bilateral relationship. Not that I have any research to prove my
point, but it seems to me that one of the barriers to a correct
umbrella term for the language spoken in Malaysia and Indonesia is the
opposition such a term would find from certain quarters in both
countries. Not from linguists but from anti-Malaysian Indonesians and
vice versa.

Wikipedia is a good case-study. There is a Malaysian Wikipedia and an
Indonesian Wikipedia both of which seem to use very similar language.
Why is it not one unified Wikimedia? Because, I suspect, no self
respecting Malaysian would contribute to the Indonesian Wikipedia and
vice versa.

Ryan