Seven
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF ROTARY

If only Rotary International could take over the place of the United Nations Organization, surely world peace would be guaranteed forever. That is if one goes by the smooth manner in which Rotary International conducts its affairs and handles the 170 or so different nationalities that between them have some 25,000 Rotary clubs in their homelands, and holds together well over one million people in membership. Of course, it would indeed be to enter cloud cuckoo land to suppose that Rotary International could be a more effective force for peace than any other international organization, but at least its very existence is a living demonstration of the extent to which international cooperation based on shared principles can be carried out. The secret behind the successful survival of this huge confederation of Rotary clubs all over the world must lie in the basic autonomy in the running of its affairs which each Rotary club enjoys, but which at the same time is combined with the overall discipline imposed by the four basic objects of Rotary - its Rukunegara and also by an essentially simple yet complex modus operandi honed and refined over the years to ensure that common goals are pursued and achieved. Rotary's rules are clear-cut and uncompromising and Rotary discipline is tight, so tight that it has caused some to break away and form their own more flexible organizations. But Rotary's rigid procedures and the firm self-discipline these engender, along with its controlled membership, are its principal sources of strength. For a voluntary movement without self-discipline cannot hope to get very far.

A new Rotary club is immediately made aware of the existence of the world of Rotary and its own place in it. Its admission as a member of Rotary International will only be approved by RI's Board of Directors after it has met with specific requirements which ensure that its location and the composition of its membership conform with the standard pattern. Furthermore, its modus operandi must also conform to standard RI practice where all activities are channelled through the four 'avenues' of service, one of which, of course, is that of International Service. To what extent a club exploits the potential of this avenue of service and develops links with other Rotary clubs in different parts of the world depends on the energies and enthusiasm of that particular club's members themselves. In the case of the PJ Club, with its proximity to the federal capital and with the outgoing attitude of its members, it did not take long to attract attention to itself and make its mark on the international stage - at least, at District level. Perhaps its debut was linked with the capacity of its members to sing, if not in perfect harmony but con brio and with effect.

The 'internationality' of Rotary International is perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the whole movement. Through the medium of RI many people from different lands and cultures are brought together and exchange ideas and 'fellowship'. What the concrete results of this international fraternizing are is very difficult to assess. As far as individual Rotarians are concerned, their participation in Rotary events involving representatives from different countries, whether at home or abroad, are likely to be cherished memories. Certainly the Rotarians of PJ who have made the journey to sister clubs in Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and Japan have enjoyed the experience, and hopefully the Rotarians from these lands who have been hosted by the PJ Club have likewise returned satisfied with their visit and reception. But at the more mundane level of correspondence with foreign Rotary clubs, the results have not proved so fruitful, and in many cases there have been no response at all.

In practice, it is the contacts between 'matched' or 'sister' clubs that have proved the most meaningful. Over the past thirty years the PJ Club has 'matched' at one stage or the other with clubs in Thailand, India, Japan, the Philippines, Australia and Canada, while currently a 'match' is being proposed between the Club and a sister club in England.

The degree of interaction achieved between the matched clubs depends on the effectiveness of the 'matching'. The Canadian and US clubs (Oakville and Vernon respectively) have proved to be too far away for close exchanges to develop. The Japanese club of Izumizano will always be remembered in PJ for the gorgeous, voluminous bath towels it presented to the Club for raising funds, but its membership was somewhat patriarchal and too senior in years to accord well with the more youthful Rotarians of PJ. There have occasionally been very friendly and enjoyable exchanges between the Club and the Rotarians of Makati West near Manila, and likewise between the Club and Bangkok South. A link was established with Bangalore Rotary in South India - the work of one of its native sons, P.P. Peter Kashyap - but it did not mature. Solid support, particularly for students awards, has been received from the sister club of Mount Gambier in Australia (and also Devonport), but the most enduring contact has been with the Ichihara Club of Japan. Links with Ichihara were established in the mid-1970s and have continued on a regular basis ever since, with alternating annual visits between the Rotarians of the two clubs, as well as alternative exchanges between Japanese students from Ichihara and Malaysian students from PJ. Ichihara Rotary has also been particularly supportive in terms of donations, starting with US$500 in 1976 to 'atone' for the activities of the Japanese 'Red Army' guerrillas who had seized the AIA Building in Kuala Lumpur and taken some senior government officers hostage the previous year.

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