Nine sports mad Australian men between the ages of twenty-five and twenty-nine travelled to Malaysia to watch the Malaysian Grand Prix. When Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo won the event they applauded the win in typical Aussie fashion. They drank a lot of beer and they cheered loudly - using the refrain "Aussie Aussie Aussie - Oi Oi Oi ". What carried the merriment further was their stripping to what they term an Aussie swimming costume in the hot Malaysian sun. Unfortunately, their choice of apparel was printed to represent the Malaysian national flag - and many in the crowd took umbrage.
What was intended as a bit of fun has escalated to an International incident. The nine were promptly arrested and they have spent several days in a police cell while the Malaysian prosecutors decide whether to apply a fine, deport them or put them before a court to face charges which carry a two year prison sentence.
This came at a bad time in Malaysia. The ruling political party is under stress because millions have been siphoned out of a national wealth fund and blame has been sheeted home to the prime minister. Any issue that diverts public attention away from that mess is welcomed.
The Australian diplomatic mission to Malaysia is keeping contact with the prisoners but as with all breaches of local law the outcome rests entirely on whether the host government decides to play hardball or takes a friendly approach and delivers a mere slap on the wrist. To some degree, it will be affected by how much Malaysian public opinion has been affronted and whether a soft decision will create public outrage.
This seems to be another of those embarrassing incidents when visiting Australians fail to take notice of local customs. Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country which forbids the imbibing of alcohol. What was seen as drunken behaviour in public would not have gone down well with other spectators. Even worse, stripping to what Muslims would consider their underwear would be a serious affront to local custom. The Muslim religion insists that the body, arms and legs be covered at all times, hence the Australian TV viewer sees what is often termed the Muslim national dress code for men of trousers, with a long sleeved shirt not tucked in but allowed to float free below waist level. Most Muslinms would consider the display of underwear offensive.
To cap this off, the Australian men were displaying the Malaysian flag on this garment and many would consider that as an intended insult to their country. The Australians were proudly waving their national flag while the flag of their host country was displayed as an item of underwear. Of course, to the Australians it was regarded as a swimming costume, but that difference would have been lost on most Malaysian viewers.
No doubt these nine Australians intended no insult and their behaviour would have been precisely the same at an Australian Grand Prix. The difference was that they did not bother to learn a little about the laws and customs of the country they were visiting. All too often we consider that the laws of Australia are universal across the world and we offend others by our ignorance.
In the next few days the fate of the Australian nine will be decided. One of them is an adviser to Australian defence minister Christopher Pyne and all may face repercussions from their employers on return. Hopefully it is a lesson learned. Pay attention to local laws and customs well before you set foot in any foreign land !
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