The topic of appropriate dress code policies have come up recently as a hotbed topic among many Malaysians, especially in the context of visiting government-run offices. And that is thanks to a number of publicised incidents where members of the public have allegedly been turned away from government-run premises or refused service over their clothing.
M’sian woman wearing knee-length pants denied entry to hospital
In a most recent instance of this happening, a video of a woman who was seen wearing a pair of knee-length pants being denied entry by a security guard working at a local hospital was widely circulated over the local social media space.
The 15-second clip shows how the woman, dressed in a striped shirt, knee-length shorts and sandals, was stopped by a security guard who apologised and told her that he could not let her through into the hospital premises.
“This auntie is wearing a pair of short pants, but the guard refused to let her in.” the man filming could be heard explaining off-camera as he confronted the guard.
Upon hearing this, the guard quickly defended himself and said that he was only doing what he was told from the hospital’s management. It has been claimed that the incident took place at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan (HTAA) in Kuantan, Pahang.
Netizens have since taken to condemning both the guard and the hospital management over their dress code policy.
“I want the Ministry of Health to go to this auntie’s house and invite her to receive treatment at the hospital that she visited from the day before. How outrageous! Pity her, being left confused when she had only wanted to go to the hospital for treatment. Do you think this is Parliament?”
However, some have come to the guard’s defense and point out that the dress code policies are determined by the hospital management, who should bear the burden of the responsibility.
“The guard wasn’t being rude. He was only following instructions. The hospital management didn’t provide guidelines on what is the correct dress code for their policy. I get angry over the management, as only low-level employees have to deal with client frustrations, while those at the top don’t vouch for their subordinates and make nonsense rules.”
“You can’t blame the guard, he was just doing his job following instructions from the officers of the government building, usually those Grade 48 and above. If they are as straight-laced as a ruler, then everybody else is expected to toe the line in the same way. If you want to get angry, get angry at the top official, Grades 48 to 54.”
Dispute occurred over a misunderstanding of dress code
In response to public furor, Pahang Health director Datuk Dr Nor Azimi Yunus has since issued a statement on the matter, explaining that the incident had occurred during visiting hours at the hospital.
It is believed that the dispute had started between the guard and the woman who was on her way to visit a patient, when the guard misunderstood the dress code policy to enter hospital premises. She adds that no other issues regarding dress codes have arisen after the incident took place, and that HTAA has taken appropriate measures to communicate with their security guards that no enforcement action should be taken without instructions relayed from the hospital.
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