The topic of attire has long been a debatable issue in Malaysia, where clothes that are deemed to show too much skin or don’t reach a certain length are labelled as ‘sexy’ or ‘revealing’.
Recently, it was brought back into the spotlight again after a Perikatan Nasional (PN) MP told Parliament today that he felt the uniform of nurses were “too tight”.
PN MP says nurses’ attire are ‘too tight’
During a Parliamentary debate session over the Public Health White Paper yesterday (June 15), Kuantan MP Wan Razali Wan Nor said that the current attire for nurses were too tight and don’t comply with Syariah requirements.
Most of them are wearing tight clothes and the shape of their bodies can be seen, which is not syariah-compliant. I would like to ask whether we are going to keep following the Western mould on the dress code for nurses?
He also cited Kelantan’s Hospital USM Kubang Kerian and Pahang’s Sultan Ahmad Shah Medical Centre as examples of how nurses were given alternative attires to change into.
“I wish to ask whether can it be changed and given leeway, as displayed by several healthcare facilities where their female staff are given alternatives to dress more suitably,” he said as quoted by Malay Mail.
Medical circle decry remarks
Wan Razali’s comments were not widely received by those in the medical circle, who roundly criticised him for it.
The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said it was ashamed to see the MP showing more concern towards nurses’ attire rather than issues currently plaguing the healthcare system.
Malayan Nurses Union president Nor Hayati Abd Rashid concurred, telling FMT that the uniform was designed to be functional and to ease nurses in carrying out their duties.
The rules for the uniforms are that they cannot be too tight and the (length of the top) must be below the buttocks. There is a guideline.
“It is up to the nursing supervisor to look out for this. Normally, the sisters or matrons will advise nurses if their uniforms are too tight,” she said.
Nor Hayati added that the uniform has been worn for years and wondered what was the cause for Wan Razali’s remarks.
Malaysia has seen a fair share of people being subjected to attire policing in recent months, with some being downright ridiculous:
