The Magic Of Sports Diplomacy

By: Natalie Shobana Ambrose

theSun, Malaysia (pg 14) August 22, 2013

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/columns/onpointe

When photos of Dennis Rodman watching a basketball game between the North Korean side and four from the US Harlem Globetrotters appeared in the media, CNN wrote "If any American has the power of persuasion over North Korea's defiant young ruler, it might be eccentric ex-basketball star Dennis Rodman."

An unlikely diplomat, yet here is a basketball player infamous for bright coloured hair, tattoos and piercings not just sitting with supreme leader Kim Jung-un but making holiday plans with him too.

On a global scale though, suddenly and perhaps unwillingly basketball fans who were not too concerned with world politics or knew little about this hermit country were inevitably surrounded by news and stories of North Korea. Suddenly it wasn't just about the game, there were other issues to consider and realities to deal with.

The 1981 Springboks rugby union tour of New Zealand which saw the formation of the riot-group Red Squad to quell confrontations between rugby supporters and anti-apartheid protesters is another example of how sport forces us to gain insights into the rest of the world.

The Kiwi police were issued with long batons, riot shields and helmets for the very first time. Perhaps not a shining example of sports diplomacy, but nonetheless an example of how sports highlights stories that might otherwise be ignored.

Nelson Mandela deciphered this code, recalibrating a country torn by apartheid through rugby unity. In 1995, rugby was very much considered a white man's sport but when Mandela donned the green and gold jersey at the finals and handed over the World Cup trophy to the Springboks captain Francois Pienaar, South Africa's slogan "one team, one nation" paved the way for the nation's healing. Today, rugby among other things, has played a vital role in uniting South Africa.

Inspiring stories such as these are also a testament of the power of sports. Sports has a unique way of gaining access to places that are otherwise challenging.

This week in Afghanistan, an international friendly between Afghanistan and Pakistan is being promoted. The FIFA-sanctioned match is bringing together two countries politically at odds with each other, to play an international friendly.

It's the first home game in 10 years for the Afghanistan side and the last time they played against Pakistan (in Kabul) was in 1977, close to 40 years ago. So you can imagine the excitement. Where the politicians have not been successful, football has highlighted the unheard stories of these countries.

When the Afghan Premier League is in season, the famed Ghazi stadium notoriously known for executions, mutilations and stonings not too long ago is also a place where the other stories are told; stories far from the harsh realities of the brutal past, stories of humanity, joy, perseverance and hope.

This is then transmitted to the rest of the world, and slowly from where we are standing, that side of the world is no longer grey, blurry and messy, but it is about people just like you and me, and we then start to see the country and people through a different lens, one that is more relatable.

These are some of the intangible benefits of sports. A goal, touch down, home run or basket is a language we universally understand. It's amazing how sports creates social cohesion.

At the World Sports Values Summit for Peace in Tokyo recently, many Olympic champions shared their stories about bringing home the gold medal. One athlete mentioned that he had brought home a silver medal and was told, that was nice, now go and bring back the gold. 

These athletes belong to countries that have gold sprees at the Olympics and Malaysia pales in comparison. We are yet to win an Olympic gold medal, and perhaps for many that is considered an embarrassment. However the true value of our medals are not in their colour but how sports has brought us together.

For a country that is obsessed with race and ethnicity, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, our silver Olympic medallist, represents unity. When away from the badminton court, he has to identify himself as ethnically Chinese with every form he fills, but when Chong Wei plays against Chinese national Lin Dan, he is automatically Malaysian first and the whole country is behind him.

For many countries, a silver medal does not mean much but for a country like ours that is multi-cultural yet divided, sports brings unity and instils a spirit of hope which is a soothing balm to the soul.

A similar story can be said of our Olympic bronze medallist Pandelela Rinong Pamg. Not only does she represent her Bidayuh community, she has the support of Malaysians the world over.

Sometimes diplomats don't have to be geared up in suits, ties and with translators nearby, sometimes they also wear gym clothes and boxing gloves.

Natalie would like to pay tribute to our Malaysian coaches, athletes and their families. Thank you for all that you sacrifice.

Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/803235

You Do The Maths

By: Natalie Shobana Ambrose

theSun, Malaysia (pg 13) August 8, 2013

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/columns/onpointe

Nine shootings, eight murders all in the last 10 days a friend lamented. Sounds like a great title for a new movie, if we weren't living it he continued.

That just about sums up our news of late doesn't it? Targeted or not these killings are disheartening to put it mildly.

What's even more of a put off is the revelation that only 9% of the police force is assigned to fight crime, the repeated explanation that the force is understaffed is constantly used and RM600 million of the 2013 budget has been allocated to keeping us safe.

So why is it so many of us don't feel safe? You do the maths.
Silly season did not end with the elections. It has continued. Did you know it's now seditious to call someone's seditious acts seditious? Confused yet – you are not alone.

That confusion continues with reports that the primary schoolchild in the "shower room canteen incident" is being bullied not just by fellow students but also by the teachers while her mother threatened for highlighting the issue – or rather, speaking up for an injustice.

Without hesitation it became a race-religion thing and caused unnecessary friction which made matters worse when the deputy education minister II quickly stated that the matter has been resolved, to contain the can of worms already opened. How has it been resolved?

Immediately there are calls to charge people who re-posted the photos with sedition. Bonkers – the country has literally gone mad. So what lesson have we learnt from this whole incident? Better yet, what have the children at that school learnt about speaking up and telling the truth?

Imagine what the adults have taught them about injustice and having the courage to stand up for what is right. It seems to be a clear and loud "Don't do it!" Stay silent! I shudder to think, if ever any of these kids were in grave danger or abused, will they have the courage to speak up because their childhood has taught them that speaking up will not help the situation.

Sadly the many adults in their lives do not know how to be mature, honest and champion what is right. If that parent had not highlighted the issue – it would have continued.

So is the school angry because they got caught with a case of bad decision or because the school was shamed? You do the maths. Either way, this just adds to the tumble weed of rising race-religion tensions Malaysia needed to address years ago.

It also adds to the issues of what we can and cannot talk about like why four beauty pageant contestants were disqualified when in the past this was not an issue or the case of the dog trainer and a three-year-old video. You do that maths. But many would show me the hand for even skirting the issue, stating "you don't have the right to comment" on the basis that I am not a Muslim.

That does not stop me from forming an opinion though. The 64 dollar question then is will there ever be space for honest open discourse on these matters?

What better way to strip misconceptions and biased opinions through discussions rather than just placing a blanked gag order based on my personal belief system?

In 1906, Evelyn Beatrice Hall summed up Voltaire's attitude as "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."If only we Malaysians could be as mature in this century.

Instead some quarters think that it's acceptable to call for activists' citizenship to be stripped and harass human rights NGOs just because you don't see eye to eye.

Why do these people think they have the power to do that, why is there so much space for them to voice their disapproval and why are the moral police not doing anything about it?

The bigger question is why are we Malaysians allowing a small fraction of society to compromise the unity we have shared for so long?

We need to stop being bystanders of our own fate and our country. Stray bullets have killed many bystanders too. You do the maths.

Natalie wishes all Muslims Selamat Hari Raya and in the true spirit of the season Maaf Zahir Batin.

Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

Different Strokes for Different Folks

By: Natalie Shobana Ambrose

theSun, Malaysia (pg 19) July 25, 2013

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/columns/onpointe

354% of white people who kill black people in American states with the 'Stand Your Ground' law are more likely found justified compared to if a white person kills another Caucasian person, according to research by Urban Institute's Justice Policy Centre which drew on FBI data.

This was on the news over the weekend and it drove home the point that we all have that 'us versus them' gene intrinsically intertwined in us even in the 'greatest democracy in the world', where everyone is said to be treated equally.

354% is an eerily alarming statistic, but what would it be like here though in multicultural Malaysia? I shudder to think. According to the World Values Survey, Malaysians ranked one of the least racially-tolerant people in the world.

Findings that were rubbished so quickly by the same authorities who asked the racially laced question "What more do the Chinese want?" a day after the election results were announced when clearly it was an urban-rural factor that tipped the scales.

Malaysia's ethnic complexities are well documented in our daily lives and though we may find ourselves frustrated by the box we're forced into, we ourselves are inevitably equally bigoted towards others who are different from us. This is something we are socialised into because nobody is born racist, we learn it.

Unfortunately, in this country we learn it too well, too soon.

Take for example the latest incident of SK Seri Pestina in Sungai Buloh where photographs of the children who were not fasting having their recess in the changing room spread like wildfire on social media.

Whatever the explanation and reasons given, a deeper question needs to be asked – what have these children learnt about race and religious acceptance? And how do we undo the damage done?

Every unity initiative has fallen short. Perhaps we need educators like Jane Elliott who devised the "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes" exercise over 30 years ago in response to Martin Luther King Jr's assassination.

After labelling children as inferior and superior based on the colour of their eyes, the students in Mrs Elliott's class were exposed to what it was like to be a minority.

The effects were astounding. It showed how quickly children exhibited discriminatory behaviour. It also exposed how those discriminated fared lower in an academic exercise when they were in the minority group, but performed far better when in the superior group.

Explaining this powerful video here will not do justice. But this exercise though 30 years old, has so much to teach us in today's world, especially so in today's Malaysia where empathy has gone missing and racial-religious lines are drawn clear through our laws, policies and everyday lives.

Singapore may not be the ideal example but last year a lady was fired from her job for posting a racist comment on Facebook and their prime minister spoke about zero tolerance in incidents like this.

Singapore also fared much better in the World Values Survey with 9.9% of Singaporeans considered intolerant compared to Malaysia's 29.9% who said that they would not like being neighbours with a person of a different race.

At the heart of the matter, is the fact that Malaysian society is not cohesive. Yes, the love of food may bind us together but if you peel away the layers of superficial one-ness, there is deep-seated xenophobia and it is only getting worse. This is a serious problem.

It does not help that there are different strokes for different folks. When racist comments and religious insults are spewed, reprimand depends on which side of society one belongs to.

This is not just racial but takes into account one's political affiliation too. What the authorities are really saying is we'd rather spend time monitoring what is put online, than catch people who steal and harm.

So we spend tonnes of taxpayer's money hauling up people who share opinions on their personal websites while our crime rates hit the roof. Talk about priorities in order.

Tolerance of intolerance is what Malaysians are constantly being asked to both excuse and support when it is convenient to the authorities.

Of course empathy goes out the door because we have successfully built a country that thinks not in a currency of unity but in a 'them versus us' mind-set and somehow this needs to stop.

Natalie would love to hear your comments about the Jane Elliott's 'Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes' experiment (video).

Comments: letters@thesundaily.com