KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 ― Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai must immediately instruct the Road Transport Department (RTD) to review its visitor dress code following outrage over its decision to force a woman to cover herself with a sarong at one of the department's branches, an opposition leader said today.
DAP national vice-chairman Teresa Kok said it is ridiculous for the department to threaten to deny the woman service if she did not cover up her legs, arguing that it goes against Liow's earlier call on the RTD to be more “people-friendly” and to provide better service.
“If Liow is serious in wanting to improve JPJ’s image, the first thing he must do now is to instruct that JPJ rescinds/revises its unacceptable visitor dress code,” Kok said in a statement, using the Malay abbreviation for the RTD.
“He must ensure that JPJ provide efficient services to all visitors who dress themselves in a manner that is appropriate for a public place,” she added.
Yesterday, a woman’s complaint of being made to wear a sarong, which she described as a “bag” to cover up her legs when seeking service at one of RTD’s counters went viral on social media and hit media headlines.
Venting her frustration on Facebook, the woman included pictures of her attire — a pink blouse and a pink skirt ending several inches above her knees — that were deemed inappropriate by the department’s officers.
The RTD has since come under heavy criticism by government and opposition MPs, who questioned if it is a sign of creeping Islamisation in the civil service.
Kok today said that the public outcry over the incident was to be expected as the woman, who she identified as one Suzanna GL Tan, “had dressed herself decently”.
Kok added that if the RTD truly believes that the woman had dressed herself indecently, they should then propose for the same dress code to be strictly enforced at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's Hari Raya open house to gauge for themselves the public's reaction.
“Similarly , if JPJ thinks it is right, it should propose to the Transport Minister cum MCA President Datuk Liow Tiong Lai to apply the same code at MCA’s Chinese New Year Open House and let's see what he will say,” she said.
“JPJ’s visitor dress code requirement is totally unacceptable,” Kok said.
