Stepping out in style: Foreign Ministry staff donning batik at their office in Wisma Putra yesterday. All federal civil servants are required to wear Malaysian batik on Thursdays. — RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star
PUTRAJAYA: The beauty of batik was on full display here as civil servants wore the design to work as part of Malaysia’s move to promote it as the country’s heritage and identity.
“Because of this initiative, I’ve learnt a lot about batik and how there are different grades and patterns. This is good exposure for us,” said Priamalar Genason, 31, who has been in the government sector for the last three years.
She said she enjoyed learning about the country’s heritage.
“In the beginning, I had very few batik selections, but now, after learning so many things about batik, I have plenty. I love it, and I like to see others wearing it too, including our Asean neighbours,” she said.
Starting this week, all federal civil servants are required to wear Malaysian batik on Thursdays. They are encouraged to do so on other days as well.
A circular, dated Aug 21 and signed by Public Service Department director-general Datuk Dr Zulkapli Mohamed, said the move was to support the Malaysian batik industry and to ensure it remains a heritage and a symbol of Malaysian identity.
Devrin Jeck, 47, is optimistic that the initiative will benefit small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and subsequently help boost the country’s economy.
“Our designers too will benefit from this. With higher demand, there will be more design creations,” he said.
“I am looking to add more to my own batik collection,” he said, adding that he hoped to see more batik-Iban designs.
Looking bright in a yellow baju kurung, Marsara Mohamed Isa, 42, said she wanted to see a greater variety of designs as well.
She said she would like to be able to wear batik even when outdoors.
“Perhaps there could be more batik pants, blouses, skirts, jackets and even suits. With more designs, I can have more options in my wardrobe,” she said.
She said she liked to wear batik to work most of the time, “but on days when I have to do field work, wearing a baju kurung may not feel very comfortable”.
Founder and CEO of Noor Arfa Batik, Wan Mohd Ariffin Wan Long, said he was happy to learn of the new initiative by the government.
While it would be good for business, he expressed hope that the federal administration would look into creating more awareness about Malaysian batik among the public so that everyone would feel proud of the textile art.
“With this initiative by the government, we are expecting more orders and sales. But we do hope that the government could instil not just awareness in the public but also love for our batik,” he said when contacted.
“When it comes to Malaysian batik, we must understand it thoroughly. Ours are made of organic materials, from fabric to colours.
“Comfort and hand-crafted designs are important compared to those of plastic fabrics and machine-printed patterns,” he added.
To celebrate the batik heritage, the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation (Kraftangan Malaysia) said on Wednesday that the National Day celebration at Dataran Putrajaya on Aug 31 would feature more than 400 Malaysian batik outfits to be worn by its guests, including ministers.
Kraftangan Malaysia is also holding “This is Malaysian Batik” roadshows at ministries, government departments and agencies, as well as institutions of higher learning.
