Don’t discriminate over a person’s attire, says Nancy

February 3, 2023

Don’t discriminate over a person’s attire, says Nancy

PETALING JAYA: Women, family and community development minister Nancy Shukri has spoken out against discrimination based on a person’s attire following a report that a woman was barred from entering a police station as she was wearing shorts.

“It is inappropriate to deny access to a police station regardless of how they dressed,” Bernama reported her as saying.

Two days ago, a woman claimed she was refused entry into the Kajang police station to lodge a police report following a car accident because of her attire.

The woman claimed she was wearing Bermudas that covered her knees.

She was only allowed to enter the police station after her sister brought her a pair of long pants.

Kajang police later confirmed that a woman was denied entry into the police station because her attire was against its dress code.

The incident led to brickbats from various quarters. Former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan said police should not stop anyone from lodging a report just because of the complainant’s choice of attire.

He said the police should not be “chasing” away those who want to lodge a report as it was their duty to help the public.

All Women’s Action Society senior programme manager Lilian Kok, meanwhile, said there was no room for moral policing of any kind in places that provided public service, or under any circumstances involving matters of life and death.