GEORGE TOWN: Wearing shorts to a hospital should not be counted as an “immoral” act under Malaysia’s Rukun Negara.
If the Rukun Negara is used as a reference in the matter of attire, “we sadly forgot that an essential part of it is the preamble which all Malaysian should be made familiar with”, said Penang Harmony Centre board member Datuk Seri Dr Anwar Fazal.
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The preamble refers to five points in the beginning of the declaration that embodies Malaysia’s aspiration as a country that fosters unity, democracy and a just society that guarantees a liberal approach towards the country’s rich and diverse heritage on top of building a progressive society that makes use of science and technology.
Proclaimed by the Yang diPertuan Agong on the National Day of 1970, Rukun Negara – meaning National Principles – contains the five main pillars, namely belief in God, loyalty to king and country, upholding the Constitution, the rule of law and the virtues of courtesy and morality.
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“There should certainly be more attention needed to the real spirit of the full Rukun Negara.
“Let’s not wait until a minister rushes to hospital to see a patient while dressed in his badminton clothes,” quipped the civil society activist yesterday.
“Perhaps hospitals can think of simple light doctors’ coats with the word ‘visitor’ on it as way of dealing with any discomfort some people may feel, like what many mosques have for both genders.
“Let’s work for sensibility and be proud of Malaysia as a caring, harmonious and professional society,” Anwar stressed.
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On Monday, a 72-year-old man was turned away by a security guard at Hospital Seberang Jaya when he arrived in shorts, and the hospital’s officers invoked the Rukun Negara as their reason.
The retired engineer, Lim Thean Heng shared a photo on social media to show he went to visit his ill brother-in-law while clad in a t-shirt, shorts that fell above his knees and sports shoes.
Hospital Seberang Jaya director Dr Saiful Azlan Sharif said later the dress code had long been practised at government departments. He said it was in line with Rukun Negara’s fifth principle of courtesy and morality.
State health committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen, however, expressed regret over the incident.
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He said further action would be taken to prevent such incidents from recurring.
On Thursday, another man was given a sarong to wear before being allowed into the Kuala Selangor Municipal Council office.
Selangor exco member in charge of local councils Datuk Ng Suee Lim also said it should not have happened.
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“It is too extreme to order a tax payer and a client to wear a sarong.
“He was insulted and such an incident should not have happened under our administration,” added Ng.
The Sekinchan assemblyman said they had to find out if the Rela personnel had acted arbitrarily or upon instructions.
