Black Shirts (2007)

In life we are presented with opportunities to enrich our lives, and today was no exception.

This morning (Sunday) I had watched the eloquent Riz Khan (One on One – Al Jazeera) interview Deepak Chopra, a gentleman famed for his interpersonal skills, belief in ‘respect’ and seemingly never ending quest to promote peace and global harmony.

Dr Chopra spoke about the need for mutual respect. Respect between people and respect between nations.

An hour or so later I was requested to attend a parent’s motivational presentation at my step-daughter’s junior school. I was informed that my step-daughter would be questioned at morning assembly if my wife and I were not to attend.

I knew in advance that the motivational address would be in Malay. It is my failing that I have little understanding of Bahasa Malaysia beyond ordering a Teh Tarik and remembering that a’s must be pronounced as u’s, as in Umpung (Ampang) and Peruk (Perak). So I was well prepared to stare at the ceiling and shuffle my foot-ware for the duration, so to speak.

I had forgotten that some people still believe that they get their message across better the louder their voice becomes. This syndrome is a favourite with English tourists in foreign countries, if in doubt - shout. And so the presenter shouted. The only word my English brain could catch was ‘professional’, and it seemed a little ironic to me that professionalism, which is inclusive of respect and dialogue, should be propounded in this presentation whereas what was being presented was monologue and provocation. There was something very Nuremberg about the forcefulness of the presentation, something that I had encountered in Malaysia before. It made me feel uncomfortable then and was making me feel uncomfortable today.

On coming to Malaysia over two and a half years ago I was employed, briefly, by a local private university. The university dress code was for all staff to wear black – all black. Sceptically I conformed. From Sogo, in Kuala Lumpur, I bought black trousers, black socks to wear with black shoes, a black umbrella and, yes you guessed it – black shirts.

One day while I was attending the university all staff were instructed to gather in the large hall, for a motivational talk by the founder of the university. I sat in the front row of the hall, along with heads of departments and various upper echelons, and happened to turn around to witness a veritable sea of people wearing all black. It came as a shock and it was then that the thought struck - where had I seen something like this before, answer -still photos of Oswald Mosely’s black-shirted fascist followers during their rallies held throughout 1935, in my home town, in England.

There was something about a hall filled with people of different ethnic races wearing all black which made it seem sinister, threatening. The directive to attend the meeting had been made more threatening by an attendance sheet passed from person to person, row to row, to ensure that all staff attended. I had forgotten that these things were done very differently in Malaysia, and that outward shows of power and rank were still considered to be acceptable.

While we sat there, dressed in all black, and expectantly looking around for our leader to arrive, we were told there would be a delay. After a few minutes of being told of further delays we were requested to exit the hall and re-group after half an hour. Almost precisely half an hour later, all black-garbed staff re-grouped in the main hall of the university - to be told that the founder would not now be attending.

Respect you see goes both ways. If you are a leader then you expect respect from those you lead, but respect has to be earned, it is not implicit in the mere fact of leadership. To gain the respect of those you lead you must treat them respectfully. To issue orders, expecting people to obey, is a trend that is popular in military establishments, as military people are frequently expected to react quickly to a given order and not to question it. Questioning orders in the military may cost lives. This is not so in civilian life.

To shout your presentation, bombarding your listeners with jingoist language is not respectful. Issuing orders for school children’s parents to attend such motivational presentations is not respectful, especially when a child may be ridiculed for a parent’s non-attendance.

Lack of respect for others, for other people’s space, time, ideas, ideals and yes religion too seems endemic in the world at present, it is time that we all remembered that the other’s other is we ourselves and the respect we have for ourselves is engendered in respect for others too.