JOHOR BARU: Recent dress code-related incidents that had caused women to be denied entry into government buildings are worrying, says Wanita MCA national chairman Wong You Fong.
Wong, who is also Johor MCA Wanita chairman, said authorities should use their discretion and common sense in dealing with special circumstances, especially when it involves emergencies.
“Wanita MCA is concerned that overzealous dress code policing continues at government offices, with the latest incident being at the Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG),” said Wong, referring to a Feb 15 incident where a 60-year-old woman was barred from using the elevator in MBPG as a security guard had deemed her attire as “not long enough”.
“From the photo, it is apparent that the hemline covered her shin, just short of reaching the ankles,” she said in a statement yesterday.
Wong said security guards are tasked with keeping facilities safe, and should not be acting as moral police.
“Society cannot be lulled into accepting little Napoleons who assume they have been bestowed with the unwritten licence to ogle at anybody’s anatomical physique on the basis of executing dress codes,” she said.
On Feb 16, The Star reported that a 60-year-old businesswoman was barred from using the elevator at MBPG for allegedly dressing inappropriately in a see-through dress.
The woman wore a pastel yellow long dress that extended to her mid-calf and covered shoes when she turned up at the council for business licence matters around 11am on Wednesday.
Separately in Perak, last Sunday, a woman was reportedly scolded by a medical worker for being “indecently dressed” while seeking treatment at the hospital around 11pm.
Another recent case involved a woman being denied entry into a police station in Kajang, Selangor, to make a police report while wearing a pair of shorts.
Wong also said that the MCA women’s wing is concerned that the undue attention on dressing could dilute and eventually erode Malaysia’s multicultural values.
“We note that Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has informed the police to accept reports regardless of the clothes a person wears, and Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa has affirmed that every patient deserves treatment, regardless of dress code,” she added.
