KUALA LUMPUR – PAS politician Dr Azman Ibrahim has angered social media users by describing women as items or goods that are sold.
The Jabi assemblyman, who is also a Terengganu exco member, had tweeted about an article featuring Bentong MP Young Syefura Othman, who criticised police for being prejudiced against women following the incident where a woman wearing shorts and who wanted to lodge a report was denied entry to a police station.
“Expensive items of high value should come in cute and neat packaging. The packaging method plays an important role in the marketing aspect.
“If you sell the item exposed by the road side, it is a cheap counterfeit product,” Azman tweeted.
His tweet drew angry responses, with some calling out his “low standards”.
“Aren’t you ashamed to tweet like this? You are a representative of the people, not Cytro (cybertrooper). The standard tweet like this is cheap,” said @rna_nr.
“Clothing is not a measuring stick to judge a person’s dignity. The duty of uniformed bodies is to carry out their duties. Woe to your kind of thinking,” commented Afiq Azni in response to Azman’s tweet.
Another user called Bendybits Crumblybum said, “She’s (the victim) in distress. Citizens in distress should be assisted by the authority (sic). Authority should facilitate, not frustrate.”
Azman, however, stood his ground and defended his remarks with more tweets which implied that the meaning of some phrases could not be taken literally.
He said in Bahasa Malaysia that idioms like “Bagai anjing dengan bayang-bayang” (a dog and its shadow) meant a person who is greedy.
“It’s not saying that you are a dog,” he tweeted.
“Saying ‘as a dog barks at the hill’ means what you are doing has no impact, not that you are a dog,” he added.
Young Syefura had urged police to uphold their duty and not deny anyone help based on their attire.
“Those who go to a police station are those in need of help. Their attire should not be an issue.
“The police’s job is to safeguard peace and security, not be the rakyat’s moral police,” she had said.
The Bentong lawmaker was responding to Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani’s explanation on the matter. He said police stations as government offices had rules on suitable attire for members of the public, although he added that police station chiefs could also use their discretion.
The woman involved had met with an accident and wanted to lodge a report at a station in Kajang. She was only allowed to do so after she had changed clothes.
Lawyers have called for clarity and new guidelines as there is confusion over the dress code directive issued by the chief secretary to the government, and a policy announced in 2015 by then minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said specified that the dress code only applies to civil servants.
Deputy Law and Institutional Reform Minister Ramkarpal Singh has said he will discuss the matter with the authorities. – The Vibes, February 7, 2023
