Most, if not all, government buildings or premises would have rules and regulations that visitors are expected to follow or be refused entry.
But one lady in Malaysia was left stumped when she was denied entry to the upper floors of a building by security, simply because her attire was “see-through”.
A 60-year-old businesswoman, who wanted to be known only as Tan, recently voiced her unhappiness after she was denied entry into Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG) by a security guard for wearing a dress seen as inappropriate.
Tan shared that she was wearing a pastel yellow dress that extended to her mid-calf and covered shoes when she visited the council for business-related matters on Wednesday (Feb 15), reported The Star.
She added that a female staff member at the front counter in the building told her to go to the second floor to meet an official for her inquiry.
However, she has to obtain a visitor’s pass from the security guard first.
But to her surprise, Tan said the security guard refused to give her a pass as “my dress was not long enough to head to the upper levels of the building”.
Baffled by the security guard’s denial, she decided to relay the issue to the female staff member who was at the front counter, as she did not want to leave without getting her work done.
“The female staff then told me to take the stairs to avoid the security guard.”
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Not wanting to argue or cause a scene, and as her husband was waiting for her outside the building, Tan did as she was told.
The incident has left Tan puzzled.
“As a businesswoman, I visit government offices quite often, so I am aware of the appropriate dress code, and I have never encountered such an issue before this.”
She added that the government needs to standardise its guidelines and for it to be publicly made known so as to avoid similar incidents.
The incident has also attracted the attention of Pasir Gudang MCA division chief Tan Tuan Peng.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Tuan Peng highlighted the issue and asked for a solution from MBPG Mayor Datuk Asman Shah Abd Rahman.
“Is there a problem with this attire?” he wrote. “I ask the mayor to give a satisfactory answer.”
“If it is not [within] the city government’s regulations, the security guard will be replaced immediately if there is a problem, and I will apologise to the victim.”
Treatment refused to woman in short pants
A similar incident happened to a woman who sought emergency treatment at Perak’s Kampar Hospital on Feb 14.
She was reported scolded and refused treatment by a medical officer as she was “indecently dressed”. The woman was wearing a pair of short pants.
Malaysia’s health director general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah addressed the issue in a tweet on Tuesday: “This shouldn’t happen in health facilities. We will investigate and if it is true, will take necessary action. Thank you for highlighting this issue.”
The hospital has also reprimanded the medical officer involved, and action has been taken to avoid similar incidents.
