AS A tropical country with sweltering heat, donning a pair of shorts is par for the course. Yet, this innocuous item of clothing has once again come under the spotlight.

Apparently, wearing shorts to government department or a hospital is an act that goes against the Rukun Negara!

This was according to Seberang Jaya Hospital director Dr Saiful Azlan Sharif who explained a ban on shorts at the hospital was “to ensure harmony and well-being together in line with the fifth Rukun Negara principle which is courtesy and morality”.

The latest incident that is scarcely believable involves a 72-year-old retiree who was denied entry into Seberang Jaya Hospital by an overzealous security personnel for wearing shorts!

Retired engineer Lim Thean Heng had dropped by the hospital to visit a relative donned in t-shirt, sports shoes and shorts that were below his knees. Yet, he was denied entry by a security personnel who pointed to a placard denoting appropriate dress code when visiting government departments and hospitals.

After making his dissatisfaction known to the complaints department, the senior citizen was finally allowed in as a one-off exception.

Dr Saiful further explained that the dress code at government departments has long been practiced and the hospital is not exempted.

However, Penang health committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen has since responded to the incident citing miscommunication being the crux of the matter.

Expressing his regret over the matter, Gooi said further action would be taken to prevent such incidents from recurring to improve the hospital’s services.

This follows the incident in June where a non-Muslim shopkeeper in Kelantan was fined for having the audacity to wear shorts in her own business premises.

The fact that this is becoming an issue clearly shows the creeping conservatism that is unduly influencing the daily lives of ordinary citizens in a multi-ethnic country.

Yes, certain decorum is required when conducting official business at government departments. But should this extend to senior citizens at hospitals?

For sure, singlets, flip flops, tank tops and mini-skirts are understandably banned when visiting a government department but should such strict regulations be extended to hospitals?

This issue of appropriate dress code is further evidence that the conservative element is subtly but very surely forcing its world view on all Malaysians.

When a septuagenarian is denied entry to a healthcare facility simply because he is wearing shorts underlines the absurdity of the scenario, especially with the hospital’s administrator quoting the Rukun Negara as justification.

Elsewhere, municipal offices are stringently enforcing this dress code with sarongs and batik clothes made available for transgressors as the video below shows:

This is not a how citizens of a diverse multi-cultural nation should have to live where the right to consume alcohol, attend concerts and wear shorts become sticking points. - Dec 15, 2023

https://focusmalaysia.my/what-is-the-state-of-the-nation-when-wearing-shorts-is-seen-as-going-against-the-rukun-negara/