JOHOR BAHRU – A businesswoman in Johor Bahru was left baffled after she was barred from entering a local government council building for apparently dressing inappropriately in a “see-through” dress.

The 60-year-old woman, who wanted to be known as Ms Tan, said she was wearing a pastel-yellow dress that extended to her calves and covered shoes when she turned up at the Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG) for business licence matters at around 11am on Wednesday.

“I was quite surprised when the security guard refused to give me a (visitor’s) pass, saying that my dress was not long enough to (allow me to) head to the upper levels of the building,” she told Malaysian daily The Star.

“I went back to the front counter and related the issue to a female staff member as I did not want to leave without completing my task.

“She then told me to take the stairs to avoid the security guard. I did as she said because I didn’t want to argue or cause a scene as my husband was waiting for me in the car outside.”

Ms Tan said she could not understand the security guard’s reasoning as the female staff member and those on the second floor, when she got there via the stairs, were polite and had no issue with her dress.

“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.

“Moreover, I am a 60-year-old woman, so it does not make sense for me to dress scantily or wear inappropriate clothing in public,” she said.

This latest case came after two other women were barred from government premises recently.

On Sunday, a woman in her 20s was refused treatment in Kampar Hospital because of her attire. And earlier in February, another woman was denied entry to the Kajang district police headquarters because of her “inappropriate clothes”, when she wanted to make a report on an accident.

When contacted, an MBPG official said they were aware of the incident involving Ms Tan.

“From our understanding, she was dressed indecently as the dress was slightly see-through. She was not stopped from conducting her business on the ground floor and at the front counters,” said the official.

“She was only stopped from going up to the higher floors due to her dressing. We will look into the matter and make improvements.”

Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said on Wednesday that the police must take reports from the public regardless of their attire.

“We do not agree with the cop’s action (in refusing to take a report because of what the complainant was wearing),” he said, referring to the incident in Kajang.

Mr Saifuddin also reminded the public to observe the dress code at public offices, including police stations and government offices.

The woman who was refused entry to the Kajang police headquarters claimed she was wearing bermudas that covered her knees.

She said she was allowed to enter the station only after she changed into a pair of trousers that her sister handed to her. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK