Cover image via Facebook.com
Elderly pair denied entry into Ipoh City Council building for wearing Bermuda shorts
According to Chinese newspaper *Sin Chew Daily*, Huang Zheng Zhou, 68, and his sister Xia Nv were barred from entering the building on Thursday (2 July) because the security guard who stopped them said their shorts ended above the knees.
Image via The Star Online
Another woman, Chen Mei Lan was also denied entry into the building because she was clad in a see-through short-sleeved blouse. She was later allowed into the building accompanied by a council officer, while the siblings decided to wait outside.
Image via The Star Online
3 July: Ipoh City Council denies woman's entry for "lack of sleeves"
Image via The Star
Journalist denied entry into Defence Ministry for showing knees
Image via The Star
2 July: MAB apologises to man with 'cute pink shorts' over his dress code incident at KLIA
25 June: Penang court denies woman's entry for skirt being too short
Image via The Star
"I was following a RTD directive," claims guard at JPJ Wangsa Maju
24 June: Rela officer receives "letter of appreciation" for making a member of the public don a sarong to enter JPJ
Suzanne G.L. Tan claims she was made to cover up when visiting the Road Transport Department branch in Wangsa Maju
Image via The Malaysian Insider
23 Jun: Sungai Buloh Hospital sorry about guard's refusal to allow a woman in shorts to enter
Image via Ohcalamity
Woman refused entry into Sungai Buloh Hospital because she was wearing shorts
Image via Nisha
Selangor Government apologise for guard's act of refusing the two women to enter
"Sarong cover-up" back in trend when a guard barred two women from entering SUK building
Image via The Rakyat Post
9 June: On Monday, 8 June, a Facebook post by a woman named Suzanne G L Tan caught the attention of Malaysians. In the post, Suzanne, who was at an unspecified JPJ office made claims that the JPJ staff forced her to wear a sarong in order for them to attend to her.
Before and after: Photos posted on Tan's Facebook page showing her original attire (left) and the sarong she was asked to wear at the JPJ office.
Image via Suzanne G L Tan/AsiaOne
As the news spread, users on Facebook expressed their views:
Image via The Star's Facebook Page
Their views ranged from being supportive of the woman:
Image via The Star's Facebook Page
Image via The Star's Facebook Page
To people saying she should have just followed the dress code:
Image via The Star's Facebook Page
Image via The Star's Facebook Page
Image via The Star's Facebook Page
Following which, on 9 June, a JPJ public relations officer told The Star that they're investigating the woman's complaint and will look into the matter and obtain a report from the office involved
When asked if there was a dress code for JPJ customers, he said:
According to The Malay Mail:
However, whether or not there was an official dress code for people visiting JPJ office, the government department has now published a dress code that prohibits even men from wearing sleeveless shirts
JPJ, although, did not mention its reasons for the dress code:
However, Suzanne wasn't the only one.
Another woman, Pang told SAYS that she was prohibited by the security guard at Selayang Municipal Council from entering its premises and was also passed a sarong to wear when she visited its office today, 10 June.
Image via Snowpiano Pang
She was there to submit her documents related to business licencing. According to Ms. Pang, the security guard there pointed at the signboard and told her that "It's clearly stated that the dress must be over the knee, then only you are allowed to go up."
The guard then continued saying, "You must go back and change your attire now, or wear our sarong."
"I was quite upset, looking at my dress, indeed my dress isn't over my knee, but it's still considered a proper office attire. And this is not the first time I'm wearing this to government offices. So I checked with the guard again as to why I could wear this last week but not this week?"
He said, YDP just gave an order that whole of Malaysia's office must follow these rules. "So even if I allow you to go up, when the office staff see your attire, they will still ignore you. So do you still want to change to our Sarong?" the guard asked her again.
What sort of dress Ms. Pang was wearing? This:
Image via Snowpiano Pang
Ms. Pang, who wondered if it's a valid reason to reject a visitor, then calmly asked the guard, "can you tell me what's wrong with a female wearing a skirt? I just want to know. Because even though my dress is different from your signboard, why is it wrong?"
"Sorry, I can't help. I'm just following the rules," the guard told her. She then asked him, if she can't go up, can he ask his officer to come down? He said he doesn't think the officer will come down.
"I came here to settle my business license application. If you think my dress is a problem and don't allow me to go up, please ask the officer to come down and get the document from me, I'll wait here," she said, insisting that she doesn't think her dress has a problem. "This is an office dress, I won't go back and change, and I wont take your sarong, and today I must submit this document. That's it."
While she was telling him all this, another guard came and asked her the same questions, whether she wants to change the dress. She answered him the same thing. "I just want to submit my document."
There was an officer passing by. The guards then stopped him and explained him the situation. Then this officer told Ms. Pang, "no problem, let me handle it." She followed the officer and got her papers done.
On the dress code issue, Liow Tiong Lai, Transport Minister and a Member of Parliament for Bentong, Pahang, posted on his FB page that he regrets "that this dress code issue has taken place."
"I have directed for an investigation to be conducted immediately and for action to be taken," the former Health Minister wrote.
[He further added that](https://www.facebook.com/LiowTiongLai/posts/1140046802689253) "**there is no such thing as a sarong policy**. We should not impose unnecessary dress code guidelines on the public. There is an immediate need to review existing guidelines."
