Making the Earth Move

Every day for the past week or so the papers have been talking about the foreigners who stripped naked and urinated on Mt Kinabalu and how this did not cause a fatal earthquake. That there is a need to debunk the connection between offending the mountain and triggering a natural disaster does of course lend it a degree of credibility, and there are certainly some who believe that the tourist’s behaviour was responsible for the shake that claimed 18 lives. One letter to the daily paper expounded that it was all to do with geography in a tone which suggested that the writer was fed up with the primitive beliefs of some Malaysians, but then compromised the reasoned argument by saying that if it had been the spirit of the mountain it would have reacted instantly and not waited for innocent people to come along.

Two men and two women, one a Briton, were arrested but the media was quick to point out that the charge was one of Public Indecency; they weren’t accused of causing earthquakes.  But there was nobody there to be offended. The only reason the authorities knew of their behaviour was because they took pictures of themselves which they posted on social media. The real reason they were arrested was because of a perceived offence, not against any person or group of people, but against the mountain.

The four that were caught were remanded in custody ostensibly for breaching the standards of decency that are required from a predominantly Islamic country. But the offence had nothing to do with Islam; those who were outraged believe that the mountain is sacred and should be accorded respect. In my opinion this is no sillier than any other religious creed and visitors should ensure that they act accordingly, but I sense that while the actions of the culprits are universally condemned, many Malaysians are struggling to reconcile their national identity as a modern forward looking and technically advanced nation, with the beliefs of a primitive animist culture.

I suspect that a desire to not appear lacking in westernised ways has led to the authorities ignoring the wishes of a revered Bobolonian (High Priest) that the wrongdoers atone for their crime by each offering a sogit (fine) of a buffalo to the mountain. This is a shame as, not only would that be consistent with the Malays historical attitude of looking for recompense to victims above punishment of culprits, but it also seems appropriate that a buffalo is offered to ask forgiveness for wandering around in the buff!

 

Malaysia is a multi-cultural and multi-racial society and there is a general tolerance towards those who hold different standards. On the light railway in Kuala Lumpur I noticed two young women sitting together companionably, both engrossed in their mobile phones. One was covered from head to toe in traditional manner while the other girl barely had a stitch on. It seems to me that managing to combine high moral standards with an attitude of tolerance towards other groups is a strength of the country which some other nations would do well to follow, but there is a need to have some cultural awareness and sensitivity; unless of course you want to be accused of causing the earth to move.