THOSE who are in the business of imparting knowledge should know what culture means to people. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), the country's second oldest university, obviously didn't when it banned cheongsams and sarees from its convocation ceremony scheduled to start on Nov 26. Or if it did, it didn't care.
Either way, UKM has courted unwelcome controversy. Naturally and for good reasons, the Chinese and Indians are troubled by such culture-erasing dress codes.
True, dress codes are necessary but why this diktat of expunction? Frankly, it's "othering" by another name.
UKM is getting a national dressing down for its culture-blindness. And deservedly so. Here is why. Firstly, Reputation Management 101. When an issue rears its ugly head, never let it become a crisis.
Now that it has become one, the price is an apology. Nothing less than a heartfelt one. It appears that UKM is finding "sorry" to be the hardest word. But it must come out and say it. Otherwise it will be seen as being indifferent, which will be another crisis for it to handle.
If this isn't enough, a local English daily reported that UKM had on Tuesday introduced a new dress code for its staff.
Talk about timing. Again, Reputation 101. Don't court controversy when you are dealing with one.
Secondly, the cheongsam-saree controversy should never have happened in UKM as the university boasts its very own Institute of Ethnic Studies (Kita).
Mind you, it is the only full-fledged national research institute specialising in ethnic studies in the country. Note the inclusive "we" of Kita. Yet, UKM drew the flak upon itself.
Clearly, those who drafted the controversial dress code didn't seek the advice of Kita.
Even so, Kita could have advised the drafters to take the poster down once it made its appearance on the website.
It appears that UKM staff aren't reading their own web pages. Perhaps they are living in parallel worlds. Some outside of UKM are living in parallel worlds, too.
Two employees of KPJ Healthcare Berhad were arrested on Oct 30 after a video of one of them wearing a blue baju Melayu, a sampin and songkok, was seen vandalising a Deepavali kolam, a decorative rice motif, went viral.
His colleague, who was shooting the video, was heard encouraging him by shouting "vandalism". Let's be blunt.
These are two unthinking individuals who have invited unnecessary dangers for the rest of the Malays and for the religion of Islam, not to mention the reputational damage to KPJ Healthcare Berhad.
The hospital has done a wise thing by apologising to the Hindu community for the despicable act of its employees. So have the police by arresting them. The law must mete out the severest of punishment.
The Malays are necessarily shocked at such behaviour of two men from their community. These two men, and we hope to God there aren't more like them out there, need an education.
We are a multiracial society. We have to live and let live. As a religion of peace, Islam prohibits vandalism of religious symbols of other believers.
As the Quran says in Surah 109, verse 6: "To you, your religion, to me, mine." It appears that these two men do not know enough of their religion.