Sixteen Years of Distorted Gender Equality

Sixteen years had past since girls were first accepted into the family of Boys' Brigade. The initial idea of starting the Girls' Wing was a noble idea of optimising the limited resources of churches that could not afford to have both Boys' Brigade and Girls' Brigade concurrently and yet not depriving girls from receiving the opportunity to be trained physically, mentally, socially and educationally through the twin pillar of discipline and Christian Education.

I have the privilege of listening directly from the person who initiated the proposal as to why Boys' Brigade needed to have Girls' Wing. I agree that circumstances at that time (early 1990s) pointed towards the need of Girls' Wing. Sadly after sixteen years, the following problems seem to have outweighs the benefits.

Identity and Uniform Crisis
From early-1990s till late-1990s, girls in the Girls' Wing were wearing knee-length skirt (or rather pants plaited with skirt). The fairer gender do not wear marching boots but only black shoes; with the rest of the uniform remains the same.

However, since late-1990s, girls were beginning to wear long pants - similar to what the boys were wearing. Today, both boys and girls wore exactly the same and most of the girls are now wearing boots. The only different is the little asterisk on the name tag of the girls.

I am a person who agrees with gender equality but at the same time, I also acknowledged that God made Man and Woman differently. Therefore gender equality should not be taken blindly. The same principle applies into this issue. Yes, Boys' Brigade has accepted girls through the Girls' Wing. However, after 16 years, why isn't there a proper identity given to the fairer gender?

The Boys' Brigade in Hong Kong started accepting girls in 1986. Our friends from Hong Kong has provided such a beautiful identity for their sisters in the Boys' Brigade where boys and girls wear different uniform while both were still Boys' Brigade members.

Many argued that girls of this generation do not want to wear skirt. I am not suggesting for the current Girls' Wing uniform to simply change from pants to skirt. My suggestion is to give the girls a totally new uniform that perfectly portrait them as girls although they are in the Boys' Brigade. Simply saying girls do not want to wear skirt and we subscribe to that argument shows how immature the officers and decision makers are in handling this problem.

If our girls really hated skirt so much, then why are they still going to school? All female school uniforms, be it in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea etc...enforced that girls must wear skirt. Why are these officers and decision makers in the Brigade simply just fall for such shallow argument that if girls' don't like skirt, then Girls' Wing uniform should not be skirt. Are they more concern for the development of girls or the threat of withdrawal from the girls which affects the statistics?

God made Man and Woman differently. This means that an identity must be given to both gender that enables distinction, not merely separated with an asterisk on the name tag. To me, that's a mockery of respect to the fairer gender.

Educational Development
I agree with education experts worldwide that co-education is more effective to the development of teenagers. The opportunity to interact and communicate freely under the guidance of officer (adult) is indeed a good learning experience for both boys and girls.

Unfortunately, the lack of initiative to provide separate identity for boys and girls could have dangerous consequences simply because boys and girls might not be able to fully comprehend the differences between the gender. A simple illustration is a couple who already have three sons and then took home another baby girl to be their daughter. However, until the age of 16, the parents raised the little girl like their three sons. The daughter wore the exact same clothes, play the same toys, and carried herself exactly like the three brothers. How could the daughter ever learn that she is a girl and how could you expect the three brothers to respect and see the sister as a girl? This illustrated what is taking place in the BB with the Girls' Wing.

Drill and Band
There were so arguments of not creating a separate identity for Girls' Wing because this will severely reduced the uniformity in drill and band.

Firstly, I wish to point out that wearing skirt and being dressed more feminise, do not hinder a girl from doing drill. Our sister organisation, the Girls' Brigade, are strongly training their members to do drill and yet they are still wearing skirt. If GB could do so, why can't the girls in Girls' Wing could not do so?

Secondly, having different uniform for boys and girls do not reduce the uniformity of the band. To be a respected band, it is the quality of music that counts. That's why the title for the best BB band in Malaysia always head downsouth, simply because the quality of the music produced is good.

Thirdly, let's pull the argue a little bit further. If uniformity is really so important, is BB going to stop any boy from the Sikh Community from joining us simply because he has to wear a turban and not the Field Service cap? Similarly, if different identity is given to the girls and boys and they wear different uniform, two different uniform posed no problem to uniformity. A quick look at the BB Hong Kong website reassured everyone that two different uniforms is really no big deal.

Is the Name Appropriate?
Critics to the Girls' Wing will further emphasised that the name of the organisation, the Boys' Brigade, is inappropriate to accommodate girls. I agreed that indeed it is confusing. My wife and my sister were both members of the Girls' Wing. When it comes to scholarship application or job application, the impression of a girl being a Boys' Brigade member gives quite a bit of negativity.

There was once, someone after looking at my wife's resume, informed us that she made a typing error of Boys' Brigade instead of Girls' Brigade. At least, we could explain it to the person. I was just wandering how many girls from the Boys' Brigade having their resume and application being rejected simply because the people who access the resume could either assumed the application as:

1. not checked properly and have spelling or factual mistake, either in gender information or extra-curricular activities column; or
2. this must be a copy-and-paste resume from a friend in Boys' Brigade and the girl forget to change it

In short, much negativity is associated with such application, simply because the girl joined Boys' Brigade and not Girls' Brigade.

Some of the supporter of Girls' Wing might argued that this is just the name. Like other organisation, YMCA and YWCA, the name is gender-based but it is now open to both gender.

I would like to view it differently. Firstly, most of these organisations are social organisation, where the members are adult and their involvement are only social in nature. On the contrary, Boys' Brigade and Girls' Brigade are youth organisation and is closely affiliated to schools and other educational institutions. Such confusion has great implication to the future of the members, particularly those from the confused section of the Girls' Wing of the Boys' Brigade.

Conclusion
Conclusively, the lack of identity to the Girls' Wing is an important issue for the Boys' Brigade of Malaysia to deal with. Sixteen long years had passed and yet, the mentality to deal with this section of the Brigade is still at the infancy level. It took the Brigade almost 12 years to regulate the use of asterisk to differentiate the gender, because the officer at the uniform inspection could not identified whether the child standing in front of him is a girl or boy.

The mentality to see girls as merely statistics in the membership roll needs to be changed. Decision-makers and officers in the Brigade need to address the core issue that boys and girls were made differently and this indeed is according to the biblical principle where God created Man and Woman to be unique. No one could afford to wait another sixteen years, where at least another 3 generations of girls will have already walked through the ranks of Boys' Brigade with this distorted idea of gender equality. The recognition and identity remains the core of the issue.

Farewell to the Officers

I attended the Memorial Service of an old officer from 1st Penang, Mr Cheam Hock Seang. Though I do not know him personally, but the feeling of paying the last respect to someone who has served in the Brigade had driven me to the service.

The next day, the more shocking news came. A former officer from my former company, aged only 6 years more senior than myself, was called home by God. Mr Leow Kok Wei, someone considered to be very junior as an officer, but has left tremendous impact on the boys and girls. He's always close to the boys and girls, cheerful with no ego being an officer. After BB parade, boys and girls even addressed him "Drumstick" (because his leg looks like one) and he was never bothered with such unconventional way to reach out to the boys and girls. All this friendliness and cheerfulness, remains unchanged though, he himself was a high-achiever in the Boys' Brigade. Being the first batch of President's Award receipient of 6th Penang and was twice the BB National Bible Quiz Champion, he remains down to earth and never boost about it.

On a personal note, he is also one of the officers that have spent many important hours to listen and advice me when I was still at the infancy stage of learning to be a leader. Sadly, he was 'forced' out of the company the same time I assume the important leadership position of leading the NCOs and never have the chance to work under his leadership. His leaving from Boys' Brigade was indeed painful and I safely guess that many other incidents subsequently followed that he lost this whole group of brothers and sisters from the Brigade, which they have grew up together and experienced the thick and thin of teenage years.

All those who turned up at the funeral have not met him for at least a year. This is sad and hopefully with his return to the heavenly Father, it will serve as a reminder to everyone that life is indeed fragile.

Anyway, I personally salute these officers, for their passion, love and commitment laboured to the ministry of the Boys' Brigade. One whom have personally touched my life and another whom has impacted 1st Penang to be what it is today.

I am confident, we will meet again in heaven. Adios!

Which is More Important?

This is just one small little question that I could not understand. I was watching the news about the request to debate about motion of no confidence for the Prime Minister. The Opposition head informed the press that the request has been submitted to the Office of the Parliamentary Speaker.

Here comes the irony. When the Speaker was asked whether will the request be accepted or rejected, he answered that he has yet to make any decision about it. He further added that now he just want to go back to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and see his animals (cows and goats were mentioned). He said, "I'm a Kampung boy and I want to go back and see my animals first. Then I'll decide."

Is the debate about the country's leadership not as important as the animals in Kota Kinabalu? Which is more important?

What's So Big Deal

Opening of franchised cafe in public universities seem to be such a big issue. The Deputy Minister of Higher Education has to made statement on such important issue.

I recalled that more than a decade ago, University of Malaya (UM) was supposed to have a MerryBrown restaurant at the Law Faculty building. Due to students' protest (I doubt they were the majority), the project was called off and the facility turned into another air-conditioned Malay restaurant in UM. (This paragraph was written based on what I heard from others. Might have factual mistake).

Malaysia projected herself as a multi-ethnic and multi-racial country. However, the pitiful monotonous variety of food in public universities certainly do not portrayed the image that has been projected. I could recalled the excitement in UM in 2005 when Kentucky Fried Chicken opened a KFC house outside the campus. Students practically flocked to the newly-opened and westernised restaurant to eat the finger-licking good meal.

After my 3-year in Malaysian public university, I was given the opportunity to head downsouth to the "little red dot" island to spend another 3 semesters to pursue a post-graduate degree. To my surprise, in National University of Singapore (NUS), there were franchised cafe and restaurant almost everywhere in the campus. McDonalds, Subway, New Zealand Ice Cream, Burger King, Japanese Sushi (can't recall the brand name) just name a few. Students were given so much of choice when it comes to food.

On top of such pricey franchised and westernised food, every faculty is well-equipped with canteen that offers more than 10-15 food stores. You will be spoilt of choice. In the Arts and Social Sciences canteen, or what is known as The Deck, there are Malay, Indian, Western (Chicken Chop, Fish n Chip etc...I miss the Beef Steak - cheap and good), Pastry, Economic Rice, Vegetarian, Japanese, Fruit Juices and Fresh Fruits, Coffee and Drinks, Fish Ball Noodle, Sichuan, ClayPot Rice, Chicken Rice and Yong Tao Foo. After the renovation in 2007, the number of stalls in The Deck remains the same but another level of the canteen was built to accommodate Burger King, Thai Express and Italian food. The choices of food in NUS is indeed international and multi-ethnic.

Comparing the scenario in Singapore and Malaysia, I would say the decision not to encouraged franchised cafe and restaurant in public universities is not done with the interest of students at heart.

Firstly, it makes no economic sense not to welcome these cafes and restaurants. When such franchised outlets operate in campus, such as in NUS or Starbuck at University of Hong Kong (HKU), students who displayed their matriculation card will be entitled for discount. NUS students are entitled to 30% discount for Subway Sandwiches and the same for HKU students who also enjoy 30% discount of all Starbuck beverage. Malaysian students are paying the market rate to enjoy such food and beverage, adding to the transportation cost to travel outside the campus.

Secondly, these franchised outlets also provide great facilities for students to interact and have group discussion. The air-conditioned environment along with internet connectivity are considered the essentials to students in this part of the world. An escape from the heat and great comfortability of sofas and chairs. Malaysian students were usually confined to corridor or lobby of the faculty for such discussion and many a times, without "efficient" internet connectivity.

Thirdly, we all know Malaysian university students were most active at night and until the wee-hours. Going "Yam-Cha", "Supper", "Mamak" were among the common terms that students used to illustrate their habits of gathering at stalls for supper. Although there were such stalls within the public universities, yet many students would still prefer to venture out of campus for such group activities at night. With the increased choices of stalls and hang-out places within the campus, students can reduce the venturing out rate and that actually provides greater security coverage for students, especially public universities located in the Klang Valley.

To me, what's so big deal about such franchised cafe and restaurant. For university administration to ponder on such trivial matter is indeed ridiculous. University administrator, please focus on higher education matters and let the student affairs management people to decide. If they can't do their job to fight for students' interest, just fire them and get someone else who can do better. Really no big deal!