The cover up with sarong incident at Wangsa Maju JPJ office involves the bigger issue of an unreasonable and unacceptable dress code for customers, not just how an insensitive guard had made a mistake or acted on his own.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai should not miss the forest for the trees and should be prepared to raise the issue of unacceptable government departments’ dress code for customers in the Cabinet.
Liow has yesterday explained that the directive to Suzzana to wear a sarong before dealing with JPJ was given by a security guard, and not by the department’s officers.
He said that the guard feared she would not be able to carry out official dealings at the JPJ counters and so he gave her the sarong. He said that there were no instructions issued by JPJ that customers should be given a sarong if they did not meet its dress code and he also said that action will be taken against the guard.
Liow was quoted to say that he did not know where the guard got the sarong from but added that “This is a serious matter. You can’t impose your values on others.”
From Liow’explantions, I wonder if he has really understood the public outrage over the cover up with sarong incident.
If he has read or been informed about the public criticisms that have appeared in social media and in opinion articles in the media, he should know that public anger is mostly and correctly directed at the strict and unacceptable dress code imposed by the department.
Public are naturally angry with the cover up with sarong directive, but they want the Minister to resolve the source of problem – the unacceptable and excessively strict dress code which many feel is the imposition of one’s values on others.
Can Liow explain if the guard would have given Suzzana the sarong if there is no such dress code that says that JPJ visitors cannot expose their knees?
Secondly, how could Liow say that he did not now know where the guard got the sarong from when he had come to the conclusion that based on investigations, action will be taken against the guard? Should not he ensure an investigation be thorough?
Thirdly, why was the guard’s directive to Suzzana not aware or stopped by any JPJ officer?
It has been reported that the present customers’ dress code for government departments was set several years ago by the Chief Secretary.
Liow should therefore raise the unacceptable dress code issue in the Cabinet and emphasise that the government cannot impose its values on others.