SHAH ALAM: Two women were denied entry into the Selangor state secretariat (SUK) building yesterday for not wearing sarongs.
The New Straits Times (NST) reporter and Klang resident were stopped by security personnel at the entrance of the SUK building here when they arrived separately for a press conference.
They were told by the guards to wear a sarong to cover their legs as their dresses were deemed as short.
After refusing the sarong offer, the resident, who was the first to arrive, used her scarf to cover her legs.
She took it off once she had entered the building.
NST reporter, C Premananthini, who arrived later, was also stopped and told the same thing when she tried to get the visitor’s pass at the entrance.
Baffled by the request, she decided to enter the building using an alternative entrance instead.
“I manage to evade the guards by using the side entrance to get into SUK.
“I have been coming here for two months and this is the first time I was stopped,” she said, adding that she had used knee-length skirts before while attending press conferences at the SUK.
Meanwhile, the Selangor government has apologised to the two women for the incident.
State Secretary Datuk Mohammed Khusrin Munawi said said the state had never issued such a ruling and the security guard had been given a stern warning.
“There is a dress code but we never have rules for the sarong. We will make sure such incidents never ever happen again,” he said.
Khusrin said there was also no instruction to turn away anyone who visited the State Secretariat even if they were inappropriately dressed.
“We will advise them to dress more appropriately the next time. We do not chase them away or ask them to cover up with a sarong,” he said.
Asked if this could be an act of sabotage, he said the guard claimed he made the decision on his own.
Earlier, Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali said the Selangor state secretariat does not have any rule that requires visitors to wear sarongs to enter the building, even if they are deemed indecently dressed.
“That is not the instruction of the SUK. The SUK does not have such a dress code,” he told reporters after attending an event at the Istana Kayangan in Shah Alam yesterday.
The incident comes less than a month after the Road Transport Department (RTD) was slammed by social media users for insisting that a woman at its premises cover up her knees with a sarong.
RTD reportedly issued an open apology after receiving criticism for making Suzanne Tan wear a sarong at one of its offices.
The department expressed regret over the incident and said it was not part of its policy to provide clothing for customers should their attire be deemed inappropriate.
However, RTD maintained that it had a dress code for all visitors as was the practice in all government departments.