The Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush provided a reminder that to hit someone with a shoe in the Middle East is considered the supreme insult—but it’s an act of contempt that also probably applies almost anywhere in the world.
Burma had a shoe issue of its own in the past—although no American was involved. Britain was at the center of this one.
British diplomats and officials were told to remove their shoes and socks when visiting the Burmese court. It was more than a matter of etiquette and became a political issue, too.
The British resented having to stoop to remove their shoes and socks before an audience with the king. The Burmese regarded it as an act of respect towards their monarch, but the British found it insulting.
After the British colonized Burma, tensions over the issue intensified and helped fuel Burmese nationalism.
The British colonizers took no serious note of Burmese sensibilities and kept their shoes defiantly on. Soldiers marched in their combat boots through Mandalay Palace and temples, symbolically trampling on the feelings of monks and the general Burmese public.
After seeing their monarchy dismantled by the British, the Burmese now felt that Buddhism and Burmese values were under threat.
In 1916 and 1917, resentment reached a height, with the Young Men’s Buddhist Association, one of Burma’s earliest civil society groups, registering strong protests against the British disregard for etiquette. The “shoe issue” further fired Burmese nationalism and brought many young Burmese into the political arena. Finally, they won.
Even after independence, the “shoe issue” remained a sensitive one for many Burmese.
During my high school days, some teachers and principals insisted on students removing their flip-flops before entering their offices. I remembered a teacher indirectly suggesting to her students that they should remove their footwear before meeting her.
I was among the many students who complied, rather than risk the teacher’s anger. She seemed to be happy to see us performing this act of respect.
It’s good to see the tradition of removing footwear before entering Buddhist temples and shrines surviving in Burma, but the “shoe issue” has now surfaced in other, less worthy surroundings
Government ministers and officials are reportedly removing their shoes before meeting the junta leaders. It’s unclear whether a government order has been issued requiring them to do so—I was told such an instruction had not been given. Nevertheless, ministers and officials are appearing shoeless before Snr-Gen Than Shwe—out of forced respect or seeking some favor or other.
The “shoe issue” cropped up dramatically in 1997, when one small faction of Karen insurgents led by Saw Tha Hmu He surrendered to Gen Maung Aye, vice chairman of the ruling council.
Karen people at the ceremony and watching it on TV were outraged when Maung Aye, during an inspection of confiscated weapons, walked on the Karen flag, which had been laid on the ground. They protested that Maung Aye’s disrespect had damaged hopes for national reconciliation.
As Nancy Sinatra once sang: “These boots are made for walkin’.” In some sensitive circles, however, they have a much more potent and political purpose.
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