By J. Young
Amid the controversies surrounding people being denied entry into government offices in Malaysia, a similar incident took place in Surabaya recently with yours truly. I was about to enter to enquire about my visa application when the guard stopped me and pointed to the dress code signboard placed in front of the reception of the office building (see attached).
I happened to be wearing a T-shirt, Bermuda shorts and slippers since I was a tourist. But instead of making a big deal of it, I left and decided to change to the right dressing. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Here's where the practice in Indonesia differs from Malaysia:
1. A proper signboard is placed at a strategic location;
2. Although not specifying the position of the skirt hem, whether above or below the knee, it’s understood that it has to be reasonable according to the view of the majority of the public and not just the subjective view of the government officer. Of course, more clarity would be appreciated as this seems to be a major bone of contention in Malaysia. The advantage in not specifying the exact positioning of the skirt hem is that it leaves some discretion to the officer whether to admit or not the visitor - some flexibility is indeed welcomed especially in the case of older or middle-aged women who happen to be wearing a dress or skirt that's slightly above the knee;
3. The Indonesian officers were very polite and apologetic that I could not enter.
Perhaps it’s time for Malaysia’s government departments to do the same if they are serious about standardising and implementing dress codes. So far, to my knowledge, only JPJ (Road Transport Department) (and Parliament) has issued a dress code for the public. Once all government departments do the same, it will become widespread public knowledge and everyone would know how to dress before visiting a government office.
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