FEMALE WARRIORS OF THE HIGH SEAS

Article Along yang dimuatkan ke dalam Majalah Samudra

FEMALE WARRIORS OF THE HIGH SEAS

By Lt Fakhron Diyana Binti Fakruddin RMN

Deputy Weapon and Electrical Engineering Officer KD PAHANG

Ten years ago people would say it is impossible for a woman to serve onboard warships in the Royal Malaysian Navy. Being a country with Islam as her national religion, it is beyond thinking that women could ever serve side by side with men onboard a closed, limited and confined space of a ship, much less a warship. “ Women can never serve onboard warships!” The sentence rang quite clearly in my head as I remember the heated conversation that I had with one of my male Navy counterpart while I was in the military academy. Thousands of excuses and justifications were thrown in my face as I defended the practicality of the appointment of woman onboard ships, one of which being the constraints of relationships between men and women. Challenges of accommodation availability and ability of women to serve was also in question by these male chauvinists who cannot seem to accept the idea of serving alongside women onboard a warship. Women, who are thought to be weaker in physical ability and mental faculty than men, are always seen as much lesser than men in career values. The idea seemed too distant and impossible to absorb for them, it was like some taboo that must not even be argued at all cost. That was why I was thrilled to accept my first appointment onboard a warship, it was almost like a personal victory of some sort for me. Stepping onto the quarterdeck of KD PAHANG, I was proud to be called the Deputy Weapon and Electrical Engineering Officer, serving onboard alongside another of the same gender, Lt Kdr Halimatun Sa’adiah RMN as Acting Weapon and Electrical Engineering Officer. Nothing is impossible.

The Weapon and Electrical Engineering (WE) department consists of sixteen personnel, that being inclusive of two officers. To govern and command fourteen men serving onboard operational warship might not seem too difficult for most, but the challenges are there nonetheless. Holding a degree in Computer Engineering, I could only hope that it would help in handling the WE department of KD PAHANG, since the ship is most famous in the force as a system ship, that everything is controlled and monitored by computer. The WE department is responsible for the operations of the communication, navigation, Combat System, power management, Weapon System and aviation sections of the ship. It is important that these sections are managed and maintained as to ensure operational readiness of the ship to fulfil the appointed tasking. Maintenance and repair of equipment onboard has to be synchronized with ship’s tasking schedule as to avoid overlapping between operational requirement and maintenance plans. Good communication between other department on the ship and base maintenance staff must be maintained as to achieve this effect. Dealing with defects as fast as possible during sailing or at the jetty is equally important to maintain the readiness category of the ship.

The pessimistic impression of the hardship and constraint of women living and working onboard a warship has been countered the moment I stepped onboard. Accommodation problem is no longer in question since each cabin is equipped with attached head. With two bunks in each of the officer’s cabin, there is enough privacy and security any ship’s crew could ask for. As for the social and working environment, it could be said there is no crisis or difficulty of bonding with the opposite gender since everyone seem to understand the boundaries. In fact, the socialization with the rest of the ship’s crew is no difference than working at the units ashore, so long as everyone abides the implicit limitation of interactions between genders. And even if the situation persists, although so far there has been no incident as such, any subjected sexual harassment or discomforting gestures can be directly forwarded to the Commanding Officer or the Executive Officer. Personally, in terms of the living and working environment, I do not see any problem in carrying out my duties at my best performance.

The tasks of tackling and troubleshooting defects that arise during sailing are one thing, the challenges of maintaining the physical endurance during rough sailing is basically another. With the internal drills being executed during sailing and operational tasking such as firing exercise, Damage Control Fire Fighting, Action Station and etc, the highest physical and mental capability is demanded from us, much the same as the rest of the ship’s crew , in order to keep up with the routine. Having women onboard should not be a drag and liability for the ship to carry out its tasking and we intend to prove this right. We made sure that we take part in the ship’s side activities during sailing such as early morning activity, evening sports, prayer congregation, karaoke competitions and etc despite having the long stretch of nausea and headache due to seasickness. Participation in the ship’s activity is important to maintain good relationship with the men and other officers, while at the same time providing harmonious and cheery community onboard the ship.

Night rounds at sea are another thing to be noted. With the seasickness and the urge to vomit every time the ship rolls overwhelming all other bodily functions, it is almost next to impossible to actually conduct rounds at nights during sailing, especially when it involves the lower decks where the roll of the ship is much more apparent. To handle this situation definitely needs strong mental control. No amount of drugs could help the situation if one is not psychologically fit and strong to deal with the stress of seasickness. After all, a duty, night round is only one of the few examples that could be taken, is still a duty at whatever mental or physical capacity you are in, and it screams to be carried out. Truthfully, this is definitely one of the major challenges of working onboard.

Other than that, there is also a matter of winning the trust and respect of your men who, most of them, are much more experienced and senior in service. As a young officer, it is most important not to appear too cocky in front of the men. Being humble and down to earth is definitely not a disadvantage in this matter, because to earn respect from your men it is most important to show respect for them in the first place, whether is it for to the age in general, or in respect to the service period that they had served. The process of learning and getting accustomed to the working environment could never be fulfilled if there is a sense of arrogance in asking for the help from the subordinates. This should not be held as weakness but as strength as this only shows how well you trust your men in their work.

The presence of a lady officer could pose an intrusion of the exclusive working space that was meant for men, and this is one other thing to tackle for women onboard ships, when it comes to colleagues. Some might see this offensive, harbouring the thought that a female crew would be burden to the operation of the ship or posing a threat to the harmony of the vessel. Being the only female onboard only extends the kind of wrong thinking that other officers could be having. I would think that a fresh start with the officers is important as to plant a good impression of my personality. The way a woman carries herself is also important, how she is to appear graceful as much as she is to be tough, and how she should be reserved but not quite enough to be bullied around. Once the bond is forming with the colleague, it is not quite difficult to earn respect, as long as one knows and carries out the duties and responsibility as per description of the appointed position.

With my brief 4-month experience onboard KD KEDAH as a trainee and now two months at KD PAHANG for my first appointment, I would say that I am hoping to see more of the navy women, officers as well as ratings, to spread their wings and serve onboard as a true navy personnel. Involvement of females of other branches should be explored as a potential opportunity to further broaden the service of women in the navy and to maximize the utilization of human resource of the navy as a whole. Perhaps we dare to foresee a female radio operator working in exercises or even female commanding officer as already practiced in foreign navy such as French Navy and Royal Australian Navy. It could be a long way to the realization of such vision, but it is not impossible as most people would think.

In truth, the excitement and thrill of serving onboard a warship is actually beyond verbal or written description. The sense of belonging with a part of community that once seemed so strange, distant and almost taboo cannot be easily depicted as if painting it on a canvass or writing it on a piece of paper. People could say it is a victory for women rights to equal occupational advancement, others could even put it as an achievement for Malaysian women to be able to stand tall as the men in the military, or extremists could gloat about winning one extra point to the long fought gender war, but for us, it is about the significance of serving the nation and Malaysian people as best as we could, by pushing the limits of our physical and mental endurance in achieving the sole victory of conquering ourselves. Nothing is impossible, indeed, as long as we put our heart and soul to the one focused goal. Sedia Berkorban.