KUALA LUMPUR: With a multicultural population, Malaysia has been known to be one of the world's more moderate Muslim nations.
But lately some incidents surrounding appropriate attire have sparked debate about rising conservatism in the country.
It is not uncommon to find warnings about dress codes outside government buildings across the nation. They typically require men to wear collared shirts and long pants while women are typically required to cover their shoulders and wear skirts that fall below the knees.
The guidelines are not necessarily new, but some say authorities are introducing new ways of enforcing them.
In early June, one woman took to Facebook to complain about being forced to wear a sarong to cover up her legs at the Road Transport Department. This led to more complaints, including one from another woman told to cover up at a hospital.
The cases have sparked condemnation and confusion about whether these premises have the right to impose a dress code.
"It depends on what government department you're talking about,” said Noor Farida Arif from G25, a group of prominent Malay intellectuals. “If it's Parliament, it's an August House, they're not providing services to the public like the Road Transport Department or a hospital.
“(At those premises), there's no legal basis for it and they cannot deny services to members of the public if they don't conform to the dress code. Dress codes should be confined solely to their own staff and not to members of the public."
In almost every case so far, government departments have issued apologies, saying that the guards at these premises were confused or had been misinformed. But some say it is now up to those in charge to issue clear directives on the matter.
The cases may only be a handful but they have prompted concerns, especially following other incidents such as the fuss over a Malaysian Muslim gymnast's leotard at the SEA Games in Singapore.
"I really think moral policing has to stop,” said Selangor State Speaker Hannah Yeoh. “How do you draw the line? Now you hear about people giving women pants to cover up even when giving birth. How extreme can you be?"
But Ms Yeoh says such moral policing exists everywhere and she has experienced it first-hand.
After recently donning a headscarf inside a mosque, she was accused by a Chinese paper columnist of encouraging Malay government officials to impose dress codes on Chinese women.
"If you can't tell the difference between wearing a selendang (headscarf) in a place of worship and being forced to wear a selendang in a government office, then something is quite wrong," she said.
Ms Yeoh says at the end of the day, these issues are distractions and it is time to focus on bigger problems affecting Malaysia - such as the economy.
KUALA LUMPUR: With a multicultural population, Malaysia has been known to be one of the world's more moderate Muslim nations.But lately some incidents surrounding appropriate attire have sparked debate about rising conservatism in the country.It is not uncommon to find warnings about dress codes outside government buildings across the nation. They typically require men to wear collared shirts and long pants while women are typically required to cover their shoulders and wear skirts that fall below the knees.The guidelines are not necessarily new, but some say authorities are introducing new ways of enforcing them.In early June, one woman took to Facebook to complain about being forced to wear a sarong to cover up her legs at the Road Transport Department. This led to more complaints, including one from another woman told to cover up at a hospital.The cases have sparked condemnation and confusion about whether these premises have the right to impose a dress code."It depends on what government department you're talking about,” said Noor Farida Arif from G25, a group of prominent Malay intellectuals. “If it's Parliament, it's an August House, they're not providing services to the public like the Road Transport Department or a hospital.“(At those premises), there's no legal basis for it and they cannot deny services to members of the public if they don't conform to the dress code. Dress codes should be confined solely to their own staff and not to members of the public."In almost every case so far, government departments have issued apologies, saying that the guards at these premises were confused or had been misinformed. But some say it is now up to those in charge to issue clear directives on the matter.The cases may only be a handful but they have prompted concerns, especially following other incidents such as the fuss over a Malaysian Muslim gymnast's leotard at the SEA Games in Singapore."I really think moral policing has to stop,” said Selangor State Speaker Hannah Yeoh. “How do you draw the line? Now you hear about people giving women pants to cover up even when giving birth. How extreme can you be?"But Ms Yeoh says such moral policing exists everywhere and she has experienced it first-hand.After recently donning a headscarf inside a mosque, she was accused by a Chinese paper columnist of encouraging Malay government officials to impose dress codes on Chinese women."If you can't tell the difference between wearing a selendang (headscarf) in a place of worship and being forced to wear a selendang in a government office, then something is quite wrong," she said.Ms Yeoh says at the end of the day, these issues are distractions and it is time to focus on bigger problems affecting Malaysia - such as the economy.
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